More than 50 global investors converged in London to meet seven of the Saudi Arabian stock market’s leading companies and senior Saudi government officials at the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) first Saudi Arabia Capital Markets Day.
The investors were interested in learning how they can directly invest in listed Saudi Arabian equities, said a senior official of EFG-Hermes, a leading Arab investment bank and organizer of the Saudi Arabia Capital Markets Day.
“There are some very attractively price opportunities in the Saudi market right now,” remarked Yasser El-Mallawany, chief executive officer of EFG-Hermes.
“Now that foreign investors can buy in through swap contracts, this is the perfect forum in which to start getting acquainted with top management at some of the Kingdom’s most compelling companies,” he noted.
This is the third in a series of events organized by EFG-Hermes in partnership with the LSE. Previous capital markets days have focused on Egypt as well as the Middle East and North African banking and financial services sector.
Companies presenting at the LSE this week include Al-Marai Co., Saudi Cable Company, Saudi Arabia Mining Company (Ma’aden), Saudi Telecom, Etihad Etisalat (Mobily), Dar Al-Arkan Real Estate and Red Sea Housing Services.
“Events such as this play an important role in matching the entrepreneurs and innovators of the rapidly growing private sector in the Kingdom with the global investment community,” said LSE chairman Chris Gibson-Smith.
“The diversity of the companies represented here today is testament to the breadth and depth of the modern Saudi economy, which has more than doubled in size in a decade.”
“The Capital Markets Day for Saudi Arabia is a strong opportunity for participating companies to present their 2009 strategies to global investors,” said Dr Abdulrahman A. Al-Tuwaiiri, chairman and chief executive of the Saudi Capital Market Authority.
“London-based as well as international investors have the chance to see why the Saudi market has so much investment potential relative to other markets around the world.,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service