DUBAI: Kuwait's Petrochemicals Industries Co. (PIC) has agreed to buy a 25 percent equity stake in a venture owned by South Korea's SK Gas Co. Ltd. and Saudi Advanced Petrochemical Co., shareholders of the three firms said.
PIC, a subsidiary of state oil giant Kuwait Petroleum Corp., will invest in SK Advanced, which is building a 600,000 tonnes per year propane dehydrogenation (PDH) project in South Korea.
SK Gas is a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributor.
In a statement on Tuesday, SK Gas said PIC paid $100 million for the stake.
SK Advanced will be operated as a three-party venture with SK Gas retaining a 45-percent stake, Saudi Advanced's AGIC holding 30 percent and PIC owning 25 percent.
Saudi Advanced had previously invested $135 million for a 35 percent stake. It said in a statement on the Saudi stock exchange that its subsidiary AGIC had agreed to sell a 5 percent
stake, reducing its holding to 30 percent.
The impact of the sale will generate SR16 million ($4.3 million) for Saudi Advanced which will be reflected in its first quarter results.
Saudi Advanced said trial operations of the South Korean project would start in the first quarter of this year. SK's statement said commercial operations were expected to start from March this year.
Kuwait to buy 25% stake in South Korea-Saudi venture
Kuwait to buy 25% stake in South Korea-Saudi venture
Closing Bell: Saudi stocks slip as Tadawul falls 1% amid broad market weakness
RIYADH: Saudi stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index closing down 108.14 points, or 1.03 percent, at 10,381.51.
The broader decline was reflected across major indices. The MSCI Tadawul 30 Index slipped 0.78 percent to 1,378.00, while Nomu, the parallel market index, fell 1 percent to 23,040.79.
Market breadth was strongly negative on the main board, with 237 stocks falling compared to just 24 gainers. Trading activity remained robust, with 164.7 million shares changing hands and a total traded value of SR3.19 billion ($850.6 million).
Among the gainers, SEDCO Capital REIT Fund led, rising 2.73 percent to SR6.77, followed by Chubb Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co., which gained 2.69 percent to SR20.20.
National Medical Care Co. added 1.72 percent to close at SR141.60, while Alyamamah Steel Industries Co. and Thimar Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing Co. advanced 1.57 percent and 1.13 percent, respectively.
Losses were led by Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co., which tumbled 8.36 percent to SR24.65. Raoom Trading Co.fell 6.75 percent to SR64.20, while Alkhaleej Training and Education Co. dropped 6.60 percent to SR18.12 and Naqi Water Co. declined 5.51 percent to SR54.00. Gulf General Cooperative Insurance Co. closed 5.44 percent lower at SR3.65.
On the announcement front, Chubb Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. signed a multiyear insurance agreement with Saudi Electricity Co. to provide various coverages, expected to positively impact its financial results over the 2025–2026 period. The deal will run for three years and two months and is within the company’s normal course of business.
Meanwhile, Bupa Arabia for Cooperative Insurance Co. announced a one-year health insurance contract with Saudi National Bank, valued at SR330.2 million, covering the bank’s employees and their families from January 2026. Despite the sizable contract, Bupa Arabia shares fell 0.8 percent to close at SR137, weighed down by the broader market weakness.
In contrast, United Cooperative Assurance Co. revealed an extension of its engineering insurance agreement with Saudi Binladin Group for the Grand Mosque expansion in Makkah. The contract value exceeds 20 percent of the company’s gross written premiums based on its latest audited financials and is expected to support results through 2026. However, the stock came under selling pressure, ending the session down 4.51 percent at SR3.39.
