Dubai Financial Market (DFM) has announced the listing of Amanat Holdings, a leading healthcare and education company, as trading began in the company’s shares under the trading symbol “AMANAT”.

With the listing of Amanat, the total number of listed companies on DFM has risen to 57.

Amanat is the first company in the healthcare and education services sectors to list on DFM. Investor surveys conducted by DFM showed that healthcare and education are amongst the three most favoured sectors investors want to see represented in the market through IPOs.

Essa Kazim, chairman of Dubai Financial Market, Faisal Bin Juma Belhoul, chairman of the Board of Amanat, and senior representatives from both sides attended the bell-ringing ceremony on the DFM trading floor.

“We are delighted to welcome the listing of Amanat on DFM, which offers domestic and international investors efficient access to the GCC’s fast-growth healthcare and education sectors for the first time,” said Kazim.

“For instance, the education sector in Dubai has registered an annual growth rate of 7.5 per cent on average between 2012 and 2014, and is poised to maintain this momentum based on the high population growth. Dubai’s population is expected to grow 7.2 per cent annually to 3.6 million by 2020, from 2.2 million in 2013, and this will be positively mirrored in the demand for education and healthcare services.

“With the listing of Amanat, DFM assumes a unique position as a gateway for investors wanting to participate in the dynamic Gulf healthcare and education sectors.

“Moreover, a listing from these two sectors further boosts DFM’s efforts to realise its strategic objective of achieving the fullest representation of Dubai’s economy by attracting companies from strategically important sectors, including retail, tourism, healthcare and education. A listing will also assist these companies in achieving their growth strategy with the support of the capital markets,” Kazim added.

Healthcare spending in the GCC is expected to increase by more than 10 percent annually over the next three years to reach $86 billion. Similarly, enrolment in private K-12 education in the Gulf is forecast to double by 2020 to 10 million students, while the number of people going through higher education is anticipated to grow annually by more than 14 percent to reach almost 4 million by the end of the decade.

Faisal Bin Juma Belhoul said: “Today represents both a major milestone in the journey of Amanat and a pivotal moment in the development of the healthcare and education sectors in the GCC. Amanat will enable many investors to participate in these two vibrant sectors for the first time, while our partnerships with governments, companies and entrepreneurs will help to positively transform healthcare and education services for generations to come.” – TradeArabia News Service