Business

Didi shares plunge more than 20 pct on plan to delist from NYSE, months after debut

Just five months after its debut, ride-hailing giant Didi Global said it plans towithdraw from the New York Stock Exchange and pursue a Hong Kong listing, a stunning reversal as it bends to Chinese regulators angered by its US IPO.
Reaction from investors was swift: the company’s shares fell 22.17 percent, losing about $8.4 billion in market value. At their Friday close of $6.07, Didi shares have fallen about 57 percent since their June 30 IPO price.

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“Following careful research, the company will immediately start delisting on the New York stock exchange and start preparations for listing in Hong Kong,” Didi said on its Twitter-like Weibo account.
Didi did not elaborate but said in a separate statement it would organize a shareholder vote at an appropriate time and ensure its New York-listed stock would be convertible into “freely tradable shares” on another globally recognized exchange.
Market participants said the decision ramps up uncertainty for investors in US-listed shares of Chinese companies. US-listed shares of Alibaba, Baidu and other Chinese firms fell on Friday.
“If you are a money manager and don’t understand what the rules are, it’s easier to just sell and move your money where you better understand the rules of the game,” said Michael Antonelli, market strategist at Baird.
Sources told Reuters last month that Chinese regulators had pressed Didi’s top executives to devise a plan to delist from the New York Stock Exchange due to concerns about data security.
Didi’s board convened on Thursday and approved the US delisting and HK listing plans, said two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Didi pushed ahead with a $4.4 billion US initial public offering in June despite being asked to put it on hold while Chinese officials reviewed its data practices.
The powerful Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) then quickly ordered app stores to remove 25 of Didi’s mobile apps and told the company to stop registering new users, citing national security and the public interest.
Didi, whose apps, in addition to ride-hailing, offer products such as delivery and financial services, remains under investigation.
Redex Research analyst Kirk Boodry, who publishes on Smartkarma, said Didi may need to buy shares at the $14 IPO price to avoid legal issues and at the very least pay more than the current share price.
However, uncertainty remained over what the delisting means for investors. “There may also be some hope that by doing this, Didi management will improve its regulatory relations, but I am less confident on that,” Boodry added.
The upending of Didi’s New York listing — likely to be a difficult and messy process — underscores the huge clout Chinese regulators possess and their emboldened approach to wielding it.
Billionaire Jack Ma ran afoul of Chinese authorities after blasting the country’s regulatory system, leading to the dramatic scuppering of a mega-IPO for Ant Group last year.
Didi’s move will likely further discourage US listings by Chinese firms and could prompt some to reconsider their status as US publicly traded companies.
“Chinese ADRs face increasing regulatory challenges from both US. and Chinese authorities. For most companies, it will be like walking on eggshells trying to please both sides. Delisting will only make things simpler,” said Wang Qi, chief executive of fund manager MegaTrust Investment (HK).
Didi plans to proceed with a Hong Kong listing soon and is not looking at going private, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
It aims to complete a dual primary listing in Hong Kong in the next three months and delist from New York by June 2022, said one of the sources.
The sources were not authorized to talk to the media and declined to be identified. Didi did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment, and the CAC has yet to comment on its announcement.

“Not long after the IPO US investors had been trying to sue DiDi for failing to disclose its ongoing talks with the Chinese authorities. This is unlikely to be taken any better,” said William Mileham, an equity analyst at Mirabaud.
“It appears that DiDi are not waiting to be dual-listed, but could well be delisted from the US before it starts trading on the HK stock exchange.”

Hong Kong hurdles

Listing in Hong Kong, however, might prove complicated, particularly in a three-month timeframe, given Didi’s history of compliance problems and scrutiny over unlicensed vehicles and part-time drivers.
Only 20 percent-30 percent of Didi’s core ride-hailing business in China is fully compliant with regulations requiring three permits relating to the provision of ride-hailing services, vehicle licensing and drivers’ licenses, sources have previously said.
Didi’s IPO prospectus said it had obtained ride-hailing permits for cities that together accounted for the majority of its rides. It has not responded to further queries about permits.
Those problems had been Didi’s main obstacle to conducting an IPO in Hong Kong earlier and it is unclear whether the bourse will approve it now, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday.
“I don’t think Didi qualifies to be listed anywhere before it … sets up effective protocols to manage and ensure the drivers’ responsibility and benefits,” said Nan Li, associate professor for finance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The Hong Kong bourse does not comment on individual companies, a spokesperson said.
Didi provided 25 million rides a day in China in the first quarter, its IPO prospectus said. Its main shareholders are SoftBank’s Vision Fund, with a 21.5 percent stake, and Uber Technologies Inc, with 12.8 percent, according to a filing in June by Didi.
Sources have also told Reuters that Didi is preparing to relaunch its apps in China by the year’s end in anticipation that Beijing’s cybersecurity investigation of the company would be wrapped up by then.

Business

Region’s first-of-its-kind 3D printing facility for aviation parts opens in Dubai

Paradigm 3D opened the doors to its state-of-the-art $5.44 million (Dh20 million) 3D-printing facility in Dubai on Thursday — the first in the Middle East capable of producing parts in accordance with the aerospace-specific EASA Part 21G regulation.

Outfitted with industry-leading industrial 3D printers from NASDAQ-listed Stratasys Ltd., the facility will initially focus on producing parts for the region’s aviation industry.

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The 10,750 sq ft. factory in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area will initially have a production capacity of approximately 2,000 additively manufactured parts per year, with expectations to grow to around 20,000 per year over the next decade. Typical components produced at the facility will include aircraft interior components for seating, lavatories, electronic cooling ducts, environment control system ducting, wire guides, filter boxes, micro vanes, gaskets, component connectors, air intake manifolds and more.

As officials explined, the USP of the process at the facility is essentially the ease of use, reliability, repeatability — printing engineering grade thermoplastics with long intervals between maintenance and autonomous operations.

The event was notable for the presence of Scott Crump, Co-Founder of Stratasys, recognized globally as the godfather of 3D printing, a technology that is transforming industries worldwide. In fact, it is Crump's groundbreaking invention — Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) — that has become synonymous with 3D printing itself.

Paradigm 3D’s factory, in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area, will feature world-class industrial printers from Stratasys, establishing the UAE as a hub for fast-growing additive manufacturing segment. (Supplied)

Across the world, leading aircraft and cabin interior product manufacturers including Boeing, Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems, Airbus, Diehl Aviation, Safran Seats, use additive manufacturing systems from Stratasys. “What makes Paradigm 3D’s facility unique is that it is the only 3D printing service provider in the Middle East that will be certified to produce 3D-printed parts for private and commercial aircraft,” said Stratasys EMEA President, Andreas Langfeld. “Having this capability in Dubai will reduce the lead time for replacement parts by weeks, possibly even months, helping airlines keep their planes in operation more predictably. This will not only reduce operational costs, particularly around logistics, but it will also reduce the environmental impact associated with transportation of these spare parts.”

Paradigm 3D has partnered with Stratasys’ long-time Dubai-based partner, The Design to Manufacturing Company (theD2Mco) and Latvia-based certified aerospace production company, AM Craft which holds an EASA Production Organization Approval (POA).

The industrial 3D printers at the new facility were installed by theD2Mco and they will be responsible for 24-7 uptime and support.

AM Craft will enable Paradigm 3D to become the first qualified manufacturing site outside the European Union under their certification and will support Paradigm 3D in achieving local production approval. This affords the company the ability to offer regional manufacturing capabilities to local airline operators.

“We are committed to collaborating with Paradigm 3D and Stratasys in supporting the UAE government’s vision for its manufacturing sector through initiatives such as Operation 300bn. The use of Stratasys 3D printers for primary production applications sets this facility apart from others in the region, and enables it to confidently serve the needs of customers in highly regulated industries such as aviation. We see clear potential for this new plant to serve not only the UAE market, but the entire region,” said Kyriakos Papantoniou, group executive director at theD2Mco.

Typical components produced at the Paradigm 3D facility include aircraft interior components for seating, electronic cooling ducts, environment control system ducting, wire guides, filter boxes, micro vanes, gaskets, component connectors, air intake manifolds and more. (Supplied)

“Airlines operate globally, and the Paradigm 3D facility will enable both regional and global aerospace companies to benefit from decentralized and on-demand manufacturing. We are aiding Paradigm 3D to enable them to become a one-stop-shop for designing, manufacturing and postprocessing certified aircraft components exactly when and where they are needed for immediate installation on aircraft which will be the state-of-the-art capability from the certification and technology perspective,” said Janis Jatnieks, CEO of AM Craft.

Following the anticipated success of the Jebel Ali manufacturing plant with airlines, Paradigm 3D intends to expand its focus into other industry verticals. “We see additive manufacturing as a core growth enabler for manufacturing in the region. The UAE’s appetite for innovation, and the government’s support for projects that leverage industrial 3D printing, means the country is perfectly positioned to be a hub for real digital manufacturing revolution,” Mohamed Juma, co-founder and owner of Paradigm 3D added. “Proving our abilities in the highly regulated aviation sector will serve to validate the numerous advantages of 3D printing. It will enable us to expand into parallel sectors, such as oil & gas and other industrial applications.”

Dar Al Arkan launches first 3D printed villa to support sustainable construction

Move to promote Dubai as a regional, global hub for 3D printing tech gathers momentum

Business

Supermarket franchisee Spinneys Dubai plans IPO in 2024 second quarter

Spinneys Dubai LLC, the franchisee of the supermarket chain in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, is planning an initial public offering of the business in the second quarter of 2024, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Albwardy Investment, the franchise’s 100 percent owner, hired Rothschild & Co to advise on the planned IPO, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the plans are not public.

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It invited banks this week to pitch for roles in the offering, expected to be up to 30 percent of the company, the sources added.
Spinneys, Albwardy, and Rothschild did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The potential IPO of Spinneys Dubai, planned on the Dubai Financial Market, would add to the small but growing regional food retail sector.
Americana Restaurants, the Middle East and North Africa franchisee of fast food restaurants KFC and Pizza Hut, as well as a seller of frozen foods, debuted in a dual listing in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in December.
Lulu Group, a hypermarket and mall operator, expects its IPO in the first half of 2024, its chairman said earlier this month, adding that it hired Moelis & Co to advise it, confirming an October 2022 Reuters report.
IPO activity in the Gulf is expected to pick up after the pace slowed from an exceptional 2022, when Saudi Arabia and the UAE led new listings, raising nearly $22 billion — more than half the total for the wider Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Dealogic data shows.
Middle Eastern companies still raised $5.3 billion in the first half of this year through 23 market debuts.
Spinneys Dubai operates more than 65 stores across the UAE, its website says. In addition, it operates at least seven stores in Oman, Albwardy’s website says.
Albwardy, which says it has annual turnover above $1 billion, also owns the franchise rights to upmarket British supermarket chain Waitrose.
Founded in the mid-1970s, it has a hospitality portfolio that includes several Four Seasons hotels and food distribution investments that include Nestle UAE.
Other sectors in Albwardy’s portfolio are industrial and engineering, commercial and insurance, agribusiness, and properties.

Saudi PIF agrees to buy 30 pct of Tamimi supermarket’s share capital

Dubai retailer GMG to operate French supermarket chain Géant in UAE

Business

Private lender Blue Owl plans to open Abu Dhabi Office in Middle East expansion

Private credit lender Blue Owl Capital Inc. is working to open an office and hire a team in Abu Dhabi focused on capital raising, a move to help strengthen its relationship with wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The office has become a priority for Blue Owl as it expands its presence in the Middle East, said the person, who asked not to be identified as the details are private. The private credit lender recently secured a $1 billion investment commitment from the Abu Dhabi wealth fund.

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Representatives for Blue Owl and Mubadala declined to com-ment.

Blue Owl, which has about $150 billion under management, is one of the largest players in the private credit market. Some of its recent deals include a $2.65 billion debt package to support Francisco Partners and TPG Inc.’s acquisition of New Relic Inc. as well as a $2.7 billion financing to help fund BradyIFS’s acquisition of Envoy Solutions.

Blue Owl has also been formalizing plans to open an office and hire a team in nearby Dubai to tap into growing demand from Middle Eastern wealth funds in alternative assets. The firm plans to invest directly in the region once the new offices are established, the person said.

The Middle East offices will add to the nearly dozen locations around the globe where the firm already has a presence including Hong Kong, London, Singapore, and Tokyo.