International Holding Company (IHC), the largest listed company in the UAE, aims to double its asset base to Dh800 billion ($218 billion) and hit the Dh200 billion annual revenue mark by the end of the decade, driven by its acquisition spree, its chief executive said.
The company, whose board is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, is keen to expand its portfolio of assets in the US, India and fast-growing economies in the Central Asian region.
Acquisitions as well as developing new businesses are part of the aggressive assets growth investment strategy the Abu Dhabi-listed company is following, Syed Basar Shueb told The National on the sidelines of the Make it in the Emirates summit in Abu Dhabi.
“Way before 2030" is the target perhaps in 2029, and “we will double it, that’s for sure”, he said of the potential timeline for doubling the company's portfolio of assets.
The UAE, the Arab world's second-largest economy, accounts for 60 per cent of the company's Dh416.5 billion asset base as of the end of the first quarter of this year, while the rest is spread across the region and the markets beyond.
Mr Shueb, however, expects this ratio to inverse in the next 10 years, with the company's foreign asset portfolio accounting for about “60 per cent to 70 per cent” with the UAE hosting the rest.
“Earlier we were doing a lot of acquisitions, now we are developing new businesses very fast,” he said.
The Abu Dhabi-headquartered conglomerate is a frontline company in the emirate's push to diversify its non-oil business sectors and has grown rapidly to become one of the most valuable listed holding companies in the broader Middle East and North Africa region.
IHC, which has a market capitalisation of Dh883 billion, has been on an investment spree buying businesses as well as acquiring fast-growing companies over the past few years in the UAE as well as in markets across continents.
Earlier this month, the company announced the launch of a $1 billion reinsurance company in partnership with the world's biggest asset manager BlackRock. It also established a new holding company 2PointZero with more than $27 billion in assets in January 2024.
IHC also revealed plans to set up a new infrastructure platform ‘Gridora’ in partnership with Abu Dhabi’s state holding company ADQ and Modon for the development of new infrastructure projects in the UAE and markets around the globe.
The company's acquisitions this year include buying Egypt's microfinance platform Maseera, with a pledge to invest $1 billion in the next five years to support its expansion.
“Acquisition is a daily thing … what we are reviewing right now is at least 50 [acquisition transactions] in multiple sectors and different geographies,” he said.
Mr Shueb did not give details about the potential size of investments it plans to make on acquisitions, but said those deals will be funded through the company's own balance sheet as IHC has sufficient cash on hand for financing.
Founded in 1999, IHC operates through more than 1,300 subsidiaries and aims to expand and diversify its holdings in sectors including asset management, health care, property and construction, marine and dredging, IT and communications, financial services, food production, utilities and services.
Some of the companies under its umbrella include Abu Dhabi's biggest listed developer Aldar Properties, Modon Properties, Adnec Group, Presight, Al Seer Marine and NMDC Group.
US and India in focus
In terms of the geographic focus of its investments, the company is seeking deals in the US and India, Asia’s third-largest economy.
It has $60 billion worth of investments in the US alone, including in companies such as SpaceX and Ardent Healthcare. Within the next decade, IHC plans to boost its US investment by another $40 billion to $50 billion and ultimately aims to hit the total investment target in the world's biggest economy of about $120 billion, Mr Shueb said.
In India, it will invest up to $110 billion, while in the CIS or Far East countries, investments are expected to be in the range of $50 billion over the same period.
Data centres, renewable energy, nuclear as well as building infrastructure projects are the priority sectors of investment for the company, he added.
In the US, IHC is keen to develop small modular nuclear reactors in partnership with other companies as well as buy established businesses to further expand its footprint.
“We are talking with a few players [on small modular reactors]. It's at a very advanced stage," he said.
In India, the company has a partnership with Adani Group, owned by billionaire Gautam Adani, and IHC “values that partnership a lot, and we are expanding with them", Mr Shueb said.
“India is one of the major markets for us,” he said, adding that a bulk of IHC international expansion, other than the US, is set to take place through partnerships.
Potential IPOs
A number of IHC units are listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, where its own shares trade, including Modon, Multiply Group, Al Seer Marine and Alpha Dhabi Holding.
The company plans to list more of its subsidiaries on the Abu Dhabi bourse, Mr Shueb said.
The newly created company 2PointZero is among the companies being lined up for public floats and the listing could take place at the “beginning of the second half”, he said without giving further details on the stake being sold and how much IHC plans to raise in funding through the deal.
Dh200bn revenue target by 2030
The company's aggressive growth strategy will also help it more than double its annual revenue to Dh200 billion by the end of this decade, he said.
IHC reported Dh92.6 billion in revenue by the end of last year and Mr Shueb said “if we cross Dh200 billion, we will be in great shape”.
The continued growth of the UAE economy as well as new opportunities in the US will help it achieve its revenue target, he said.
Opening of regional economies, including Syria, is also expected to provide new investment opportunities for IHC. “There's a lot of development required there. Hopefully, other countries will also open up soon,” he added.
Last week, the US announced lifting of economic sanctions on Syria, paving way for more investments in the country.
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
MATCH INFO
Delhi Daredevils 174-4 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians 163 (19.3 ovs)
Delhi won the match by 11 runs
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULT
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Astra%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdallah%20Abu%20Sheikh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20technology%20investment%20and%20development%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
Seven%20Winters%20in%20Tehran
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%20%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Steffi%20Niederzoll%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Reyhaneh%20Jabbari%2C%20Shole%20Pakravan%2C%20Zar%20Amir%20Ebrahimi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
