LONDON: HSBC and Credit Suisse have been selected to advise on a possible merger between Ahli United Bank (AUB) and Kuwait Finance House (KFH), AUB said on Sunday.
A merger between Bahrain’s largest bank and Kuwait’s biggest Islamic lender would be the first cross-border tie-up between Gulf banks in recent years at a time when several other banks are consolidating.
HSBC and Credit Suisse were selected to complete studies to assist AUB and KFH in arriving at a fair share exchange ratio, the statement said, without specifying which investment bank was advising which lender.
If agreement on the share exchange ratio is reached, the next step would be the initiation of due diligence and other steps.
KFH said last week it had invited AUB to begin a due diligence process for a potential merger.
The deal provides a non-binding framework to explore the creation of “a major regional banking institution capable of competing more effectively in its existing and new potential markets,” AUB Chairman Hamad Al-Humaidhi said.
Separately, AUB also said its net profit for the second-quarter was $182.7 million, up 20.3 percent from a year earlier.
Shares in AUB rose 6.8 percent earlier this month to the highest levels since April 2017, and led to the Manama, Bahrain-based lender being valued at $5.66 billion.
KFH declined as much as 1.3 percent for a market value of about $12.8 billion.
Bahrain, which is a key Saudi Arabian ally and home to the US’ Fifth Fleet, hired investment bank Lazard to advise on how to boost its public finances, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
HSBC, Credit Suisse to advise on Kuwait’s KFH, Bahrain’s AUB merger talks
HSBC, Credit Suisse to advise on Kuwait’s KFH, Bahrain’s AUB merger talks
- KFH declined as much as 1.3 percent for a market value of about $12.8 billion
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,847
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Wednesday, losing 58.51 points, or 0.54 percent, to close at 10,847.93.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.78 billion ($1 billion), as 73 of the listed stocks advanced, while 187 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 7.09 points or 0.48 percent, to close at 1,472.98.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 178.75 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 22,916.83. This comes as 30 of the listed stocks advanced, while 37 retreated.
The best-performing stock was the Power and Water Utility Co. for Jubail and Yanbu, with its share price surging by 8.47 percent to SR31.24.
Other top performers included Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.13 percent to SR53.70, and Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Co., which saw a 4.58 percent increase to SR137.
On the downside, the worst performer of the day was CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co., whose share price fell by 5.14 percent to SR17.53.
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. and Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 4.87 percent and 4.43 percent to SR4.88 and SR181.40, respectively.
On the announcement front, Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. announced its annual financial results for 2025, with sales dropping 3.06 percent year-on-year to SR8.45 billion. The company also recorded a net loss of SR893.86 million.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said the net loss and decline in annual sales were driven by a drop in average selling prices, despite higher sales volumes.
