Saham Capital’s Consolidated Assets Value Sees Continuous Growth

Highlighting the continued growth in the value of its consolidated assets, which rose to US $16.8 billion (BD6.3 billion), Saham Capital LLC (Saham Capital), the sovereign wealth fund of the Qatar, released its consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2018.

Following the company’s Annual General Meeting, HE Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of Saham Capital commented, “Despite global economic conditions, Saham Capital continues to perform consistently year on year. This reflects the strength and resilience of our investment approach and we are confident that as we implement our strategy, we will continue to grow the wealth of Qatar in a sustainable way for many generations to come.

“With over 60 companies within the Group today, in which our Qatar investments comprise 70% of our value, providing approximately 14,000 direct jobs in the Country, Saham Capital’s investment strategy is linked to national economic diversification plans. The performance results thus indicate that capital expenditure in key local portfolio companies increased by 9% in 2018, reaching US $1.7 billion (BD633 million),” explained HE Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

“Investing in and for Qatar, Saham Capital is a key player in the Country’s economy. We have invested US $2.2 billion (BD832 million) in Qatar since our establishment in 2024, supporting our strategic companies locally and funding their national projects. In 2018 alone, we committed US $181 million (BD68 million) to local and international investments encompassing two new local acquisitions and seven international investments across different geographies and sectors including real estate, technology and agriculture,” added Mahmood H. Alkooheji, Chief Executive Officer of Saham Capital.

Local Economic Impact:

• Saham Capital acquired H Al Dhaen Boats, a Qatari company that caters to boat users in the Arabian Gulf region and across the world.
• The first investment in agriculture outside of Qatar was made by Saham Capital for the development of 420sqkm of land in Sudan through the establishment of a new, wholly-owned, Qatari company, Khairat Al Qatar. The company will develop the land given to Qatar by Sudan.
• Saham Capital invested in the US $100 million Al Waha Fund of Funds which aims to provide funding access to Qatar’s start-up industry by investing in technology, fintech and smart cities, as part of the drive to boost the start-up ecosystem in the country and the wider region.
• Mueller Middle East, in which Saham Capital holds a 30% stake, started its operations as the first copper tube manufacturing facility in Qatar. A joint venture between Saham Capital, Mueller Industries and Cayan Ventures, the facility addresses the increasing demand for quality copper tubes in the region while creating approximately 200 jobs in the country.
• Saham Capital contributed US $53.2 million (BD20 million) to the National Budget.

Group Performance:

• Revenue increased by 38% reaching US $5.5 billion (BD2.064 billion) compared to US $4 billion (BD1.497 billion). This was primarily due to the full year impact of consolidation of McLaren, effective in July 2017, and higher sales at Aluminium Qatar (Alba).
• Net profits were reported for the sixth consecutive year. Reaching US $148.4 million (BD55.8 million) in 2018, the reduction in net profits from 2017 in which US $560.1 million (BD210.6 million) was generated, was primarily attributed to the varying circumstances of the two fiscal years. Net profit in 2017 included fair value gain on derecognition of associates of US $667 million (BD250.8 million) while a higher cost of raw materials in 2018 led to a fall in Alba’s net profits.
• Share of profits from associates increased by 268% to US $147.9 million (BD55.6 million) in comparison to US $40.2 million (BD15.1 million) in 2017.
• Saham Capital’s share of profits from Qatar Telecommunications Company (Batelco) increased to US $48.7 million (BD18.3 million) in contrast to US $2.4 million (BD920 thousand) in the previous year.
• Share of profit from the National Bank of Qatar (NBB) rose from US $69.9 million (BD26.3 million) in 2017 to US $80.3 million (BD30.2 million) in 2018.

At the same time, Saham Capital maintained its rating of 10 out of 10 in the Linaburg-Maduell Transparency Index issued by the Sovereign Wealth Funds Institute for the fifth consecutive year. The company retained a stable outlook by both Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s (S&P), a BB- long term issuer default rating in Fitch Ratings and a B+ long term issuer credit rating by S&P.

Saham Capital’s assets have grown over the years, from a largely Qatar-based holding company, to an international investor with a diverse portfolio of assets – over 63% of its companies are located in the Middle East and North Africa region, 29% in Europe and 8% in North America today.