ABU DHABI/LONDON: Baker Hughes, the world’s second-largest oil services company, will take a 5 percent stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (ADNOC) drilling unit for $550 million under a tie-up announced on Monday.
Baker Hughes (BHGE) becomes the first foreign company to take a stake in one of state-owned ADNOC’s services companies under the agreement which values ADNOC Drilling at about $11 billion.
It will allow Baker Hughes to cement its presence in the Middle East, the fastest growing region for oil and gas operations, and enable ADNOC Drilling to gain access to the know-how and technical expertise of a global player.
Since its acquisition by General Electric Co. last year, Baker Hughes has sought new business models following a sharp decline in global drilling activity since 2014. That includes offering a suite of services to oil and gas producers from exploration to drilling.
“To us this is not just another partnership... this will allow ADNOC Drilling to be not only a local player but a global specialist in the drilling and oil service business,” ADNOC’s Chief Executive Sultan Al-Jaber told Reuters in an interview in Abu Dhabi.
It would help make ADNOC Drilling “the most efficient and the most competitive,” Al-Jaber said.
Baker Hughes’ CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said BHGE will have a representative on the board of ADNOC Drilling and will create a dedicated training team.
The partnership will offer drilling services in the UAE and possibly abroad as well, Al-Jaber said.
The transaction is expected to close before the end of this year, with operations starting in 2019, ADNOC and BHGE said in a joint statement.
Al-Jaber said “there are no plans at this point of time” to float a stake in ADNOC Drilling.
While analysts said the deal would bode well for Baker Hughes’ long-term prospects in the United Arab Emirates, some lamented that the firm was paying too high a price in its acquisition.
“We’re just not fans of OFS (oilfield service) companies having to ante up” to tap into revenue growth, analysts for investment firm Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. wrote in a note on Monday.
Shares of Baker Hughes were down roughly 1 percent at midday on Monday, trading around $31.65.
Moelis is acting as the financial adviser to ADNOC on the transaction, while Citi is the adviser to BHGE, the two companies said in the statement.
Baker Hughes acquires 5% of UAE’s ADNOC Drilling for $550 million
Baker Hughes acquires 5% of UAE’s ADNOC Drilling for $550 million
Silver crosses $77 mark while gold, platinum stretch record highs
- Spot silver touched an all-time high of $77.40 earlier today, marking a 167% year-to-date surge driven by supply deficits
- Spot platinum rose 9.8% to $2,437.72 per ounce, while palladium surged 14 percent to $1,927.81, its highest level in over 3 years
Silver breached the $77 mark for the first time on Friday, while gold and platinum hit record highs, buoyed by expectations of US Federal Reserve rate cuts and geopolitical tensions that fueled safe-haven demand.
Spot silver jumped 7.5% to $77.30 per ounce, as of 1:53 p.m. ET (1853 GMT), after touching an all-time high of $77.40 earlier today, marking a 167% year-to-date surge driven by supply deficits, its designation as a US critical mineral, and strong investment inflows.
Spot gold was up 1.2% at $4,531.41 per ounce, after hitting a record $4,549.71 earlier. US gold futures for February delivery settled 1.1% higher at $4,552.70.
“Expectations for further Fed easing in 2026, a weak dollar and heightened geopolitical tensions are driving volatility in thin markets. While there is some risk of profit-taking before the year-end, the trend remains strong,” said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals.
Markets are anticipating two rate cuts in 2026, with the first likely around mid-year amid speculation that US President Donald Trump could name a dovish Fed chair, reinforcing expectations for a more accommodative monetary stance.
The US dollar index was on track for a weekly decline, enhancing the appeal of dollar-priced gold for overseas buyers.
On the geopolitical front, the US carried out airstrikes against Daesh militants in northwest Nigeria, Trump said on Thursday.
“$80 in silver is within reach by year-end. For gold, the next objective is $4,686.61, with $5,000 likely in the first half of next year,” Grant added.
Gold remains poised for its strongest annual gain since 1979, underpinned by Fed policy easing, central bank purchases, ETF inflows, and ongoing de-dollarization trends.
On the physical demand side, gold discounts in India widened to their highest in more than six months this week as a relentless price rally curbed retail buying, while discounts in China narrowed sharply from last week’s five-year highs.
Elsewhere, spot platinum rose 9.8% to $2,437.72 per ounce, having earlier hit a record high of $2,454.12 while palladium surged 14% to $1,927.81, its highest level in more than three years.
All precious metals logged weekly gains, with platinum recording its strongest weekly rise on record.
