Waha Capital, which counts Mubadala Investment Company among its shareholders, reported a 69 per cent increase in annual profit in 2021, driven by "strong returns" from its emerging markets credit and equity funds businesses, the investment management company said.
Profit attributable to the owners of the company for the year ending December 31 jumped to Dh391 million ($106m), from Dh231m in 2020, the company said in a filing to Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, where its shares are traded. Revenue from the sale of goods and services rose to Dh301.9m in 2021, from Dh301.5m in 2020.
"Waha Capital delivered a strong financial performance in 2021 despite volatile markets and a challenging macroeconomic environment," said Waleed Al Muhairi, chairman of the company.
"The company is now well-positioned to build on the success of the past year so that it can generate long-term, sustainable value for its shareholders."
Waha Capital embarked on a turnaround strategy in 2019 to improve its performance and, despite increased volatility in global capital markets, all funds managed by the business continued to outperform their industry benchmarks, the company said.
The company's public markets business, which reached $1.2 billion of assets under management during 2021, recorded investment gains and fee income of Dh902m. Its net profit rose 88 per cent year-on-year to Dh603m.
"As a company, we successfully implemented a turnaround strategy and we are now focused on driving growth," said Ahmed Khalifa Al Mehairi, chief executive of the company. "Waha Capital’s public markets business has maintained its impressive track record since its inception in 2012, with our credit and equity funds consistently outperforming industry benchmarks."
Waha Capital's private investments business, which started carrying out a new multi-year strategy, recorded a net loss of Dh86m due to impairments and mark-to-market losses on certain legacy investments, it said. These were partially offset by gains on the divestment of a majority of the company’s US securities portfolio.
"In 2021, we also appointed a number of highly experienced investment professionals to rebuild our private investments business," Mr Al Mehairi said. "The team is now executing a multi-year mandate to deliver growth through the creation of new portfolios, while continuing the restructuring of our legacy assets to maximise value."
The company’s real estate subsidiary, Waha Land, which owns and manages an integrated mixed-use industrial development, maintained 95 per cent occupancy in 2021. The unit's net profit increased 52 per cent to Dh35m in 2021 from the previous year.
Waha Capital’s total assets under management stood at Dh5.84 bn as of December 31, 2021. The company's cost-to-income ratio for the year reached 25 per cent, which is 7 per cent lower than the previous year.
The company's board recommended a cash dividend of 7.55 fils per share and a transfer of 2.45 treasury shares to shareholders for every 100 shares owned, the company said.
Looking ahead, Waha Capital said its financial performance and strong balance sheet position it to develop on its strategy for further growth into 2022.
As the company moves into 2022, it will continue to invest across its businesses and navigate through "challenging global market conditions," it said.
"While the ongoing pandemic continues to impact market conditions, [given] the vaccination programmes, as well as containment programmes implemented by the authorities, expectations are that economies will start to navigate out to more normal business operations," it said.
Market conditions though will "continue to be volatile", with potential inflation, and increasing interest rates, it said.
"In 2022, Waha Capital’s objective is to ensure that both [private and public investment] businesses continue to accelerate the company’s growth," Mr Al Mehairi said. "By drawing on our extensive emerging markets expertise, strong business networks and robust governance practices, we can ensure that we deliver ... attractive returns."
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• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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The specs
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The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
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Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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Explained
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Saudi National Day
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills