Hisham Al-Rayes, CEO of GFH Financial Group
Hisham Al-Rayes, CEO of GFH Financial Group, which is listed on the Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait bourses, said that the group is currently preparing to list its Healian healthcare platform on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul), noting that it represents the group's regional healthcare arm and includes investments in medical centers as well as acquisitions across the region.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV , the CEO added that the group aims to execute an exit by listing Healian on Tadawul within the next 12 months. He described the Saudi healthcare sector as having valuations with high P/E ratios that support the listing decision.
The size of the healthcare portfolio in the Main Market is about $1 billion, with operating profits of approximately $85 million before taxes, depreciation, and financing costs. The group's share in this portfolio exceeds 10%, according to Al-Rayes.
In the Saudi education sector', GFH planned acquisitions are linked to a memorandum of understanding signed with Alkhaleej Training and Education Company to merge the educational assets of both parties, said the CEO, adding that the group is working in parallel on another acquisition deal for a large educational portfolio in the Kingdom, which, upon completion, could form one of the largest K-12 private education platforms.
Regarding the exit strategy, Al-Rayes explained that the past period has seen several exits from assets within the US and the region, including the sale of major stakes in Marshall. He expects that the possibility of a decline in interest rates in the US will help boost asset values, which supports the implementation of additional exits from real estate assets in the US market during the current year.
The group's profit growth over the past year was driven by the strong performance of several lines of business. The wealth management segment accounted for about 30% of total profits. Assets under management amounted to nearly $23.7 billion by the end of 2025. The increase of nearly $2 billion was achieved through organic growth from new portfolios and fundraising operations inside and outside the GCC region, with the group seeking to raise the increase to approximately $5 billion during the current year if a number of deals are completed, said the top executive.
Helian is an investment platform affiliated with GFH Financial Group. It is mainly active in the development and operation of healthcare institutions in the GCC countries, with a focus on investing in hospitals and specialized medical centers with high operational efficiency.
AI Summary
Comments Analysis: