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Ma'aden thanks CMA for clearance on issuing shares

 

May 13, 2008

Riyadh, 13th May 2008: Dr Abdullah Dabbagh, President of Ma'aden, the Saudi Arabian Mining Company today thanked the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) for approving the forthcoming Initial Public Offering (IPO) of shares in the company.

The offering shall be for 462,500,000 shares representing 50% of the company. Each share is priced at SR 20, which was determined by the Council of Ministers’ decision No 72, dated 3/4/1427H. The shares shall be offered for retail investors between Saturday 5th July and Monday 14th July 2008 (corresponding to 2/7/1429H until 11/7/1429H).

According to Dr Dabbagh, “IPO subscriptions will be available initially for institutional investors and subsequently for retail investors. Ma'aden is delighted to announce the appointment of Samba Capital as the main underwriter and lead manager and JP Morgan as financial advisor and book runner.”

Offered shares shall be allocated in two stages. 25 shares shall be allocated to each subscriber in the first stage. If all shares have then not been allocated, then each subscriber shall then be allocated up to 2000 shares as a maximum provided that the total allocated shares shall not exceed the offered shares. The rest of the shares shall be allocated on a pro rata basis.

Dr Dabbagh thanked the CMA for assisting and advising Ma'aden in preparing their IPO. He also said, “This partial privatisation of Saudi Arabia’s national mining company marks a new era in the development of the Saudi share market, the largest in the region.”

“We are also looking forward to a significant development in Saudi Arabia’s industrial history. This IPO will be the foundation stone of Ma'aden’s diversification beyond Gold and the development of its world scale phosphate and aluminium projects and also a unique opportunity to allow the Saudi Arabian people to share in our success and the mineral wealth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” said Dr Dabbagh.

The prospectus will be published soon, prior to the beginning of the subscription process.

About Ma’aden

Ma'aden was established as a Saudi Arabian joint stock company in March 1997 to facilitate the development of Saudi Arabia’s non-petroleum mineral resources and to diversify the Kingdom’s economy away from the petroleum and petrochemical sectors. Ma’aden is engaged in the development, advancement and improvement of all aspects of the mineral industry, mineral products and by-products and related industries in Saudi Arabia. In July 2008 Ma’aden offered 50% of the company’s shares for subscription in a successful SR 9.25 billion IPO. Ma’aden has progressed towards realizing its vision of building a world class mineral enterprise and its mission of being a profitable, publicly owned, international mining company, while maintaining the utmost concern for human resources, health and safety, environmental and social issues.

For further information please contact:

Aqeel Alonazi
Ma'aden Corporate Communications Department

T: +966 55 3063813
E: alonaziam@maaden.com.sa