Abu Dhabi October 16 2022: Bayanat, a geospartial and data analytics firm owned by Abu Dhabi’s G42, plans to raise $171 million from an initial public offering, joining a steady flow of Gulf companies tapping the capital markets.
The firm plans to sell a 28.5% stake, or 571.4 million shares, at 1.1 dirhams a share, according to an advertisement in Gulf News. The IPO will open Oct. 21 and close Oct. 25, and will be managed by First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC and International Securities LLC among others.
Investor demand for listings in the Gulf has been strong, with the region emerging as a bright spot in a quiet IPO market globally. Still, the outlook is darkening with oil falling about 40% since June on fears that a global economic slowdown caused by central banks’ aggressive policy tightening will hurt energy consumption.
Abu Dhabi healthcare provider Burjeel Holdings Plc earlier this month raised $300 million from a scaled-down IPO and its shares closed 20% higher last week. In Saudi Arabia, oilfield-services firm Arabian Drilling Co. drew $43 billion in orders for its $710 million IPO this month, while utility Marafiq secured enough investor demand to fully cover its $897 million listing within hours.
Bayanat provides geospatial data, geo-intelligence and AI-powered data analytics, according to its website. The company expects to list its shares on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange on Oct. 31.
Bayanat’s owner G42, backed by Abu Dhabi wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., is as an artificial intelligence and cloud computing firm, with operations spanning from energy to healthcare. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ influential national security adviser, is its chairman.
