On October 19, Citadel Capital the lead investor in RVR announced that shareholders have fully subscribed to its US$ 175.6 million capital increase, adding US$ 120 million in fresh cash to its balance sheet.
The announcement comes at the close of the second and final subscription period for a rights issue approved by shareholders and Egyptian regulators in August 2011.
“The successful close of our capital increase despite challenging global and local market conditions is ringing endorsement from key shareholders of Citadel Capital’s long-term fundamentals,” noted Ahmed Heikal, the firm’s Chairman and Founder. “Notably, our long-term Gulf investors strongly backed Citadel Capital during this rights issue. In addition, leading international institutional investors — including Western and regional funds — subscribed to Citadel Capital,”.
He continued, “This is the first of several steps that we expect will add an additional US$ 200 million to our war chest by the end of the year, putting Citadel Capital in a robust financial position heading into 2012. We see this as opportunity capital: It is more than sufficient to ensure our 19 existing platform companies weather any additional economic headwinds — and in the event of an improving business climate, it provides us with the flexibility to more rapidly grow our existing portfolio or to pursue compelling new opportunities of multiple forms”.
In addition, Citadel Capital and its platform companies have raised a further US$ 319.3 million in equity and debt since January 2011 despite ongoing regional tensions. The firm continues to enjoy the unqualified support of leading international financial institutions including the International Finance Corporation, the African Development Bank, IFC African, Latin American and Caribbean Fund ALAC, Dutch development bank FMO, German development finance institution DEG, the European Investment Bank, France’s PROPARCO, Germany’s KfW Entwicklungsbank, Belgium’s BIO, Equity Bank of Kenya and the ICF Debt Pool, all of whom have joined leading regional LPs in participating in Citadel Capital transactions this year.
“We see a further 12-18 months of turbulence ahead, a fact that sees us continue to manage costs at the platform and portfolio levels. That said, we are optimistic: Our investments are firmly on the right side of macroeconomic trends, and we remain resolute in our belief that greater democracy in key nations across our footprint will only enhance the outstanding macroeconomic fundamentals that short-term investors are presently discounting,” Heikal concluded.
Citadel Capital is the leading private equity firm in the Middle East and Africa. Citadel Capital focuses on building regional platforms in select industries through acquisitions, turnarounds, and greenfields executed via Opportunity-Specific Funds. The firm’s 19 OSFs now control Platform Companies with investments worth more than US$ 8.7 billion in 15 countries spanning 15 industries, including mining, cement, transportation, food and energy. Since 2004, Citadel Capital has generated more than US$ 2.2 billion in cash returns to its co-investors and shareholders (on investments of US$ 650 million), more than any other private equity firm in the region. Citadel Capital is the largest private equity firm in Africa by PE assets under management (2006-2011, as ranked by Private Equity International).
