SICO Completes 100% Acquisition of SICO Capital

(MENAFN- SICO) Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – 23 October 2022

SICO BSC (c), a leading regional asset manager, broker, market maker and investment bank (licensed as a wholesale bank by the CBB), announced today that it has acquired the remaining 27.29% stake held by Bank Muscat in SICO Capital, a Saudi based full-fledged capital markets services provider.

SICO had signed an agreement with Bank Muscat to acquire the remaining stake last month and the successful transaction closure was completed after obtaining all the required regulatory approvals. The acquisition value for the remaining stake in SICO Capital is BD 1.9 million, based on its net book value as of 31 March 2022.

SICO acquired a majority stake amounting to 72.7% in the Saudi-based wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank Muscat in 2021 via a share swap and successfully rebranded it to SICO Capital post the acquisition. Bank Muscat is a shareholder of SICO and currently owns 13.14% of the Bank. SICO Capital is now a fully-owned subsidiary of SICO following the acquisition of the remaining stake.
Chairman of the Board of SICO, Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, said, “We are very pleased with the successful completion of this transaction, which is a major milestone in implementing our unified strategy across our subsidiaries. We believe that a direct presence in a core, high-growth market such as Saudi Arabia will allow us to leverage our capabilities and further enhance our ability to diversify our offerings in the three countries that we operate in, while introducing new products and value-added services to meet the evolving needs of our clients. We are additionally looking forward to contributing to the Kingdom’s ambitious strategic plans for the capital market as part of its Vision 2030.”

SICO’s Chief Executive Officer, Najla Al-Shirawi, commented, “Our fully-owned presence in Saudi Arabia through SICO Capital lends us a strong competitive advantage as a regional market player. We look forward to further enhancing the entity’s established platform and professional team in the Kingdom by building a business model that is unique to the Saudi market, while leveraging the success that we have had in Bahrain as a leading regional asset manager, broker and investment bank. I would like to thank all the regulators in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Oman for their timely support and approvals on this transaction.”

SICO Capital is a full-service investment banking firm based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that offers a comprehensive range of financial services to individual, institutional, and corporate clients. With multiple licenses by the Saudi Capital Markets Authority including asset management, investment banking, and brokerage, the company offers SICO an ideal platform to offer a diversified suite of services to a wider client base in Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest capital market.

About SICO

SICO is a leading regional asset manager, broker, market maker and investment bank, with USD 4.4 bn in assets under management (AUM). Today SICO operates under a wholesale banking licence from the Central Bank of Bahrain and also oversees three wholly owned subsidiaries: an Abu Dhabi-based brokerage firm, SICO Financial Brokerage, a specialised regional custody house, SICO Fund Services Company (SFS) and SICO Capital, a Saudi-based investment banking company. Headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain with a growing regional and international presence, SICO has a well-established track record as a trusted regional bank offering a comprehensive suite of financial solutions, including asset management, brokerage, investment banking, and market making, backed by a robust and experienced research team that provides regional insight and analysis of more than 90 percent of the region’s major equities. Since inception in 1995, SICO has consistently outperformed the market and developed a solid base of institutional clients. Going forward, the bank’s continued growth will be guided by its commitments to strong corporate governance and developing trusting relationships with its clients. The bank will also continue to invest in its information technology capabilities and the human capital of its 100 exceptional employees.

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