Waha Capital wins Cross-Border Deal Financing of the Year

Waha Capital, a leading Abu Dhabi-based investment company, has won the "Cross-Border Deal Financing of the Year" award from US-based The M&A Advisor for its sale of Aercap Holdings N.V. shares. This announcement follows another award that the company received from Banker ME for the same transaction. Waha Capital carried out a hedging and financing transaction in two phases in 2014 on its stake in the world’s largest aircraft leasing firm, AerCap Holdings N.V.. The company effectively locked in the value of its AerCap stake by limiting downside equity market risk while preserving significant upside potential, and raised US$1.1 billion (approximately Dh 4 billion) in financing to be deployed in further investments and repayment of debt. The award, presented to Waha Capital at The M&A Advisors’ 2015 Awards Gala in New York, was held in conjunction with the 2015 International Financial Forum and featured over 300 of the world’s leading cross border M&A professionals. The M&A Advisor, headquartered in New York, and with offices in London, has been presenting the awards since 1998, recognising the achievements of, and facilitating connections between, the world’s leading mergers and acquisitions, financing and turnaround professionals. Commenting on the award and transaction, Salem Rashid Al Noaimi, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Waha Capital, said, "We are delighted to have received the Cross-border deal financing of the year award and honoured to have been the only company in the UAE to have received this recognition. The hedging and financing transaction not only reduced risk in our portfolio by locking in the value of our stake in AerCap, it also generated significant funding, providing us with a robust platform and capital for future growth. This transaction marked a milestone year for Waha Capital, helping us generate the highest earnings in our company’s history." – Emirates News Agency, WAM –