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Dubai Mercantile Exchange to be rebranded as GME

Acquisition sees Saudi firm become the joint largest shareholder in DME Holdings Limited

Published: Wed 26 Jun 2024, 5:40 PM

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Saudi Tadawul Group Holding Company, a leading diversified capital markets group in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, has completed its acquisition of a 32.6% strategic stake in DME Holdings Limited.

According to a statement, as a result of the transaction, the Saudi group is now the joint largest shareholder in DME Holdings Limited alongside CME Group. Other shareholders include the Oman Investment Authority and Dubai Holding as well as global financial and commercial industry leaders. Consequently, DME will be rebranded as the GME.

The investment from the Group represents a significant opportunity to leverage world-class capabilities and expertise, accelerating GME’s growth as a regional commodities leader that is well-positioned to capture global commodity demand. It will support a strategic move towards leveraging the Middle East’s geographic proximity to both key commodity production hubs and end-markets, with GME serving as a bridge between production and end-markets. Furthermore, the partnership will enable GME to capture demand for energy, metals, and agricultural commodity markets and support the ongoing global transition to a sustainable economy through the launch of next-generation derivatives contracts.

Dubai Mercantile Exchange Limited (DME) is the premier energy-focused commodities exchange east of the Suez and home to the world’s third crude benchmark. A total of 20 billion barrels of Omani crude oil have traded on the exchange since inception in June 2007, while 3 billion barrels have been delivered via the DME’s physical delivery mechanism over the same period.

DME Holdings Limited is a joint venture between Dubai Holding, Oman Investment Authority and CME Group, and is the parent company of DME. In addition to its core shareholders, global financial institutions and energy trading firms such as Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Shell, Vitol and Concord Energy have taken equity stakes in DME Holdings Limited, providing the exchange with a resounding vote of confidence from major players in global energy markets.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Tadawul Group is a holding company with a portfolio of four integrated subsidiaries: the Saudi Exchange, one of the largest 10 stock exchanges in the world by market capitalization, the Securities Clearing Center Company (Muqassa), the Securities Depository Center Company (Edaa), and Wamid, an innovative applied technology services business. The Group reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position as an attractive global investment destination and the gateway to the MENA region. Saudi Tadawul Group supports the development of an advanced capital market in Saudi Arabia; one of the pillars of the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP), a Saudi Vision 2030 realization program.

As the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities.

Oman Investment Authority (OIA) is the investment arm of the Sultanate of Oman, established by Royal Decree No. 61/2020. It is a sovereign wealth fund operating as an autonomous legal entity. Its primary mandate encompasses the prudent management of the Sultanate of Oman’s funds and assets, with a strategic focus on optimizing returns and contributing to implementing Oman Vision 2040.

Dubai Holding is a diversified global investment company with investments in more than 30 countries and a combined workforce of more than 40,000 people. Established in 2004, Dubai Holding has an extensive portfolio of over Dh265 billion worth of assets that support the diversification and sustainable growth of Dubai’s economy across key sectors.



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