Breaking the recent logjam in UAE real estate market deals is no small achievement for any deal. Abdulwahed Ahmad Rashed Bin Shabib achieved that and more with its $124 million refinancing this year.
Led by Emirates Islamic Bank, the deal from the Dubai construction and property company has consolidated its exposure to the sector. Using a liquidity murabaha structure, the transaction ring-fenced the cash flows of the wider company from volatility in certain real-estate holdings.
The Shariah-compliant liquidity structure is based on the bank purchasing tradable funding-limit certificates and selling them to the client – with an added profit margin. This was achieved without the involvement of commodities, which are often required under murabaha structures.
The proceeds from securitizing existing real-estate assets have helped the company diversify its overall business interests and position itself for future deals. These include investments in a variety of sectors such as government services, pharmaceuticals and hospitals.
The deal structure also offers other sectors a blueprint for strengthening corporate foundations in challenging market conditions.