DP World has successfully closed the $315.7m acquisition of Cosmos Agencia Marítima in Peru. Courtesy DP World
DP World has successfully closed the $315.7m acquisition of Cosmos Agencia Marítima in Peru. Courtesy DP World

DP World partners with infrastructure fund to invest $3bn in India



Dubai’s DP World and India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) have set up a US$3 billion fund that will invest in India, as the world’s fourth biggest port operator looks to ramp up its investments in Asia’s third largest economy.

The platform will look to acquire and develop ports, terminals, transportation and logistics assets in India, DP World said in a statement to Nasdaq Dubai, where its shares are traded. The investment mandate stretches beyond the traditional sea ports as the fund will also target river ports and transportation, freight corridors, port-led special economic zones, inland container terminals and logistics infrastructure including cold storage. The company did not specify how much equity it is putting up in the investment vehicle.

"DP World has been a part of India's growth story for nearly two decades and we are delighted to continue our success by joining forces with a strong strategic partner," said Sultan bin Sulayem, the DP World group chairman.

“We believe that our expertise in building best-in-class logistics infrastructure together with the NIIF’s local knowledge and government partnership is the right combination to take advantage of the significant growth opportunities in India.”

The move follows NIIF signing a $1bn deal in October with a unit of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world, to investment in India’s energy, transportation and other infrastructure-related sectors.

India’s economy has struggled to maintain growth mom­entum, weighed down by the introduction of goods and services tax and demonetisation moves by the government. The country is in dire need of foreign investment and is encouraging players such as DP World to help it overhaul its ageing infrastructure which is a hurdle to growth.

India needs $1.5 trillion of investment in infrastructure over the next decade, Arun Jaitley India’s finance minister, has stated.

In May DP World also signed a memorandum of understanding with NIIF to develop the logistics sector in India, following the February 2016 visit of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Mr bin Sulayem, during which the company had announced intentions of seeking opportunities in the country worth more than $1bn over the next few years. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the UAE next month. 

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“This is NIIF’s first investment and is a good example of how NIIF can work with international capital and expertise to invest at scale to build critical infrastructure in India,” said Sujoy Bose, the NIIF chief executive.

“Efficient logistics and cargo movement are critical components for the continued growth and development of the Indian economy, and particularly the manufacturing sector,” he said. The investment fund will aim to invest in assets that will help to reduce the cost of moving cargo, he added. 

DP World has a 30 per cent share of the Indian market and operates six ports along the east and west coasts of the country. The value of goods exported and imported through company’s operations reached almost $50bn in 2016, about 15 per cent of India’s total non-oil imports and exports. The company has invested almost $1.2bn in India over the past 16 years and will invest another $1bn in brown and long-term greenfield terminals, inland container depots and expanding existing inter-modal rail services, according to a company spokesperson. 

DP World also plans to spend about $1bn every year for the next three years at home and abroad as it expands its investment portfolio and strengthens its global footprint.

The company, which is set to post 10 per cent growth in its gross container volumes for 2017 on the back of a stronger-than-expected recovery in global trade last year, has spent about the same amount on capex in 2017.

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  • 2018: Formal work begins
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

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What is 'Soft Power'?

Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye. 
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength. 
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force. 
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.

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It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.

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UAE and THAAD:

In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teams

India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami

South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second

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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.

Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.

"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."