Alef Education Holding announces intention to list on ADX

Abu Dhabi [UAE], May 20 (ANI/WAM): Alef Education Holding plc announced its intention to proceed with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and listing of its ordinary shares for trading on the Main Market of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX).
Alef Education is indirectly majority owned by Abu Dhabi Capital Group (ADCG), one of the largest private institutional investment groups in the Middle East and North Africa with a portfolio spanning multiple asset classes, industries, and geographies.
The selling Shareholders expect to sell 20 per cent of the total issued share capital of Alef Education (equivalent to 1,400,000,000 shares). All shares are existing shares being sold by the Selling Shareholders, Tech Nova Investment - Sole Proprietorship LLC and Kryptonite Investments LLC and the Company will not receive any proceeds from the Offering.
The First Tranche offer (Individual Investors and other investors, including natural persons, companies and establishments as defined in the UAE Prospectus) subscription period is expected to run from May 28 to June 4, 2024.
The Second Tranche offer (Professional Investors as defined in the UAE Prospectus) subscription period is expected to run from May 28 to June 5, 2024.
The Internal Shariah Supervision Committee of First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC has issued a pronouncement confirming that, in their view, the Offering is compliant with Shariah principles. Investors should undertake their own due diligence to ensure that the Offering is Shariah-compliant for their purposes.
The Selling Shareholders reserve the right to amend the size of the Offering at any time before the end of the subscription period, subject to applicable laws and the approval of the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) in the UAE.
Admission of shares to trading on the ADX is anticipated to occur on or around June 12, 2024.
Commenting on the announcement, Abdulhamid Mohammed Saeed Alahmadi, Chairman of Alef Education's Board of Directors, said, "Our successful track record of growth, underpinned by the value we provide and the trust we have built with international governments, customers, and partners - including ADEK - has culminated in this milestone moment.
"With a robust governance framework, seasoned leadership team, and clear growth strategy, we firmly believe that Alef Education is ready to become a publicly listed company. We are not only offering investors the opportunity to participate in the growth of a company with a truly unique proposition - as the first-ever EdTech company to be listed in the UAE - but also one that is operating in a sector with considerable tailwinds, growth, and value drivers."
Geoffrey Alphonso, Chief Executive Officer of Alef Education, commented, "To date, our growth has been strongly supported by - and continues to benefit from - the UAE government's focus on providing quality education to a broad student base and increased fiscal spending allocated to education, totalling over 15 per cent of the UAE federal budget in 2023. This remains true across and beyond the GCC, with the MENA region allocating an average of 4% of GDP towards education spending in 2022." (ANI/WAM)