Investments from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will play a key role in Lebanon's goal of attaining a 7 per cent increase in its Gross Domestic Product in 2009. Saudi Arabia is Lebanon's biggest external investor, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the country's foreign investments. Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into Lebanon reached USD3.6 billion in 2008, representing a 32 per cent increase from the previous year and comprising mostly Saudi investments.

Among Al-Khabeer Capital's officials present during the meeting were Mr. Saleh Binladen, Chairman of the board of Directors; Mr .Abdullah Binzagr, Board Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee; Mr. Ammar Shata, Executive Director; and Mr. William George, Managing Director-Investment Banking.

Al-Khabeer delegation informed the President about the core businesses of Saudi-based Al- Khabeer Capital. Both parties discussed various domestic investment prospects including Al-Khabeer's portfolio and market expansion targets for the Middle East.

Mr. Ammar Shata, Executive Director of Al-Khabeer Capital commented "Lebanon is considered one of the region's success stories for 2009. The country has been able to outperform several Arab economies due to its sound banking, financial policies and expand growth industries such as tourism and real estate, which makes it a very promising location for future project funding".

He added: "Al-Khabeer's business model is built around innovation and excellence in the creation of products intended mainly for niche markets and Lebanon's economy has been able to thrive amidst the global downturn, driven by a steady increase in FDI, increased bank deposits, expanding tourist sector and major real estate developments. Al-Khabeer Capital focuses mainly on middle market businesses, family offices and organizations in the development phase of their life cycles and we believe in the potential of this country and will help identify local investment opportunities which best fit Al-Khabeer's business profile."

About Al-Khabeer

Al-Khabeer is one of the leading Saudi investment firm, licensed by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and offering wide range of innovative Shari'a-compliant financial solutions with a focus on Asset Management, M&A, Capital Management, Equity Market,Corporate Banking & Structured Finance.  Al-Khabeer Capital serves the KSA market through its Jeddah and Riyadh offices  as well as the GCC markets though its sister company Al-Khabeer International which is based in Bahrain.

Early Beginnings

In 2004, a group of banking professionals in Jeddah established Al-Khabeer Financial Advisors (KFA), a firm specializing in the development of Shari'a-compliant products for banks as well as the provision of advice on and the arrangement of Islamic finance transactions. During the period from 2004 to 2007, KFA arranged over US $1.6 billion in transactions.

Formation of Al-Khabeer Capital (AKC)

Backed by a solid track record, KFA's founding partners set out to build a leading Islamic merchant banking institution in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The first step was to raise commitments from a very strong shareholder base. AKC was established in Saudi Arabia and fully absorbed KFA and its operations, with a paid-up capital of US $113 million. In April 2008, the Capital Market Authority of Saudi Arabia granted asset management and investment banking licenses to AKC, allowing it to underwrite deals, create innovative investment vehicles, and perform a full range of merchant banking functions.

Formation of Al-Khabeer International (AKI)

Based on the aspirations of the founders to expand globally, Al-Khabeer International (AKI) was formed in Bahrain in 2008, with an initial paid-up capital of over US $100 million. AKI was granted a Category 1 Investment Business License (Islamic Principles) in December 2008 by the Central Bank of Bahrain. AKI is a sister company to AKC, with a common shareholder base. AKI carries out the same activities as AKC, focusing predominantly on the GCC and greater Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets.

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