Saudi Aramco to acquire 70% majority stake in SABIC

Saudi Aramco has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire a 70% majority stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, in a private transaction for SAR 259.125 billion (or SAR 123.39 per share), which is equivalent to USD $69.1 billion. The remaining 30% publicly traded shares in SABIC are not part of the transaction, and Saudi Aramco has no plans to acquire these remaining shares. The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals

Headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, SABIC has global operations in over 50 countries with 34,000 employees. In 2018, SABIC’s consolidated production volume across its various business units was 75 million metric tons, and recorded net income of USD $5.7 billion, annual sales of USD $45 billion, and total assets of USD $85 billion.

 H.E. Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, Managing Director, Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia said:“This is a win-win-win transaction and a transformational deal for three of Saudi Arabia’s most important economic entities. It will unlock significant capital for PIF’s continued long-term investment strategy, underpinning sectoral and revenue diversification for Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, it will introduce a strategic owner that can add considerable value to SABIC and all its shareholders, while capitalizing on SABIC’s strong capabilities to unlock the opportunities for growth that Saudi Aramco, a key player in energy markets around the world, can offer.”

Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Senior Vice President of Downstream, Saudi Aramco said: “Saudi Aramco’s downstream strategy is focused on meeting global customer needs by securing outlets for our crude oil through the expansion and growth of our refining system and deepening its integration with petrochemicals production.  We are pursuing partnerships and acquisitions where we create long-term value, and developing groundbreaking crude-oil-to-chemicals technologies. SABIC is a good strategic fit and a solid platform to support our continued investment for future growth in petrochemicals – the fastest growing sector of oil demand.”

The acquisition is in line with Saudi Aramco’s long-term strategy to drive growth through an enhanced Downstream portfolio by increasing global participated refining capacity from 4.9 million to 8-10 million barrels per day by 2030, of which 2-3 million barrels per day will be converted into petrochemical products. This Downstream portfolio will consume significant quantities of Arabian crude oil.