Saudi wealth fund set to pocket billions from Aramco-Sabic deal
Javier Blas, Wael Mahdi
July 20, 2018
A potential deal between Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and petrochemical giants could enable the country’s sovereign wealth fund to raise billions of dollars it had hoped to collect from Aramco’s stalled initial public offering. Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, is considering buying a strategic stake in the Sabic petrochemical group, Aramco said on Thursday in a statement, adding that the talks were at a “very early stage.” The Public Investment Fund, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, controls 70 percent of Sabic, as Saudi Basic Industries Corp. is known, with the rest of the company’s shares listed on the Saudi stock exchange. If Aramco does buy a stake, the deal would let the PIF convert at least part of its shareholding into cash that it could then use to make other investments overseas. At current market prices, the PIF’s stake in Sabic is worth about $70 billion. For the government, the transaction would simply involve moving money from one pocket to another, as Aramco, Sabic and the PIF are all state-run entities. The PIF, which controls about $150 billion in Saudi-listed companies, had planned to raise at least $100 billion through the Aramco IPO in the second-half of 2018. That listing has now been delayed until 2019 at the earliest and may be postponed indefinitely. Uneven Benefits The purchase of a big stake in Sabic could boost Aramco’s valuation, but only to a point. Sabic’s current market capitalization is slightly more than $100 billion — just a fraction of the $2 trillion valuation that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is seeking for the oil behemoth. Aramco may also have to take on debt to pay for a large stake, reducing its appeal to investors. Aramco, known formally as Saudi Arabian Oil Co., said it didn’t plan “to acquire any publicly held share” of the petrochemical company. The PIF confirmed the talks in a separate statement. The biggest beneficiary of such a deal would be the PIF, which could raise money for its investments, according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren’t public. By comparison, Aramco, if it bought only part of Sabic, wouldn’t be able to reap all the synergy benefits to be gained from a full acquisition. SoftBank, Blackstone Under the leadership of Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, the sovereign wealth fund is shifting its investment focus from domestic — with stakes in the likes of Sabic and National Commercial Bank — to international, funneling billions of dollars into high-profile overseas deals. The fund lies at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s effort to reduce its reliance on oil revenue under an economic transformation plan known as Vision 2030. In addition to running the PIF, Othman Al-Rumayyan is also a director at Aramco. So far, the PIF has struck an agreement to invest $45 billion in SoftBank Group Corp.’s technology fund, committed $20 billion to an infrastructure fund with Blackstone Group LP and said it plans to invest about $1 billion in Virgin Group’s space companies. It’s unclear how Aramco would fund the acquisition of a stake in Sabic. The oil company has invited banks to pitch for advisory roles for a potential deal, according to a person familiar with the matter. Aramco is investing heavily to become a major producer of chemicals, to enhance its appeal to potential investors if the IPO is revived and also to reduce its dependence on pumping raw crude. The company is already working with Sabic, one of the world’s largest petrochemical makers, to turn crude directly into chemicals that are the building blocks for plastics and other commonly used consumer materials. Aramco also owns a large stake in the $20 billion Sadara petrochemicals joint-venture with DowDuPont Inc. “Our goal is to be a top-tier energy and chemical company by 2030,” Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Aramco’s senior vice president of downstream, said in an interview last year. “We will expand organically, but we also see inorganic opportunities,” he said, signaling an appetite for making deals that’s rare for a company with little experience in mergers and acquisitions. “Chemicals is a global business.” Bloomberg
Read more at:
https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/aramco-sabic-saudi-sovereign-fund-102323/
RDIF ANNOUNCES INVESTMENT BY SAUDI ARABIA’S SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND IN LOGISTICS OPERATOR PLT
Press release, 14.06.2018
Moscow, June 14, 2018 - The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, the sovereign fund of the Russian Federation) announces an investment by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), in Professional Logistics Technologies (PLT)—one of Russia’s top 5 logistics operators. The agreement was reached during the visit of the Crown Prince, Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud to Russia.
The investment will be used to build high-quality logistics infrastructure facilities to meet the growing need of Russian companies to improve supply chain efficiency.
Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of RDIF, said:
"The Public Investment Fund’s investment in the PLT project is a landmark moment for the development of Russia’s logistics infrastructure. We are delighted with this opportunity to strengthen cooperation with the Public Investment Fund. The partnership between RDIF and PIF significantly strengthens investment and economic relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia, and is an excellent example of sovereign funds interacting at a global level."
***
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is Russia's sovereign wealth fund established in 2011 to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside reputable international financial and strategic investors. RDIF acts as a catalyst for direct investment in the Russian economy. RDIF’s management company is based in Moscow. Further information can be found at
www.rdif.ru
Public Investment Fund - In March 2015, the Council of Ministers issued a decree to transfer oversight of the Public Investment Fund to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA). As part of this process, a new Board was appointed, chaired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud.
To help achieve Saudi Arabia’s vision of a sustainable, diversified economy, the Board of Directors has taken several steps to clearly define the Public Investment Fund’s vision, objectives and strategy in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
The Public Investment Fund is developing a portfolio of high quality domestic and international investments, diversified across sectors, geographies and asset classes. Working alongside global strategic partners and renowned investment managers, PIF acts as the Kingdom’s main investment arm to deliver a strategy focused on achieving attractive financial returns and long-term value for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Public Investment Fund aims to be a global investment powerhouse and the world’s most impactful investor, enabling the creation of new sectors and opportunities that will shape the future global economy, while driving the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia. Further information can be found at
www.pif.gov.sa
PLT was set up by RDIF, Mubadala and other co-investors in 2016 to expand and enhance Russia’s grade A logistics infrastructure and to meet demand from Russian and international companies for high quality well managed logistics infrastructure. Investors are planning to grow the portfolio of PLT’s modern logistics facilities to become the leading player in logistics facilities in Russia with a network of facilities throughout the country. PLT is committed to implementing some of the best practices of the world’s leading logistics operators and development companies. Further information can be found at
www.pltrussia.ru
For additional information contact:
Arseniy Palagin
Russian Direct Investment Fund
Press Secretary
Tel: +7 495 644 34 14, ext. 2395
Mobile: +7 916 110 31 41
E-mail: arseniy.palagin@rdif.ru
Andrew Hayes / Andrew Leach
Hudson Sandler
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7796 4133
https://rdif.ru/Eng_fullNews/3261/
