GFH to invest AMA Group

Dubai – 14 November 2016 

GFH Capital, a subsidiary of Bahrain based GFH Financial Group, today announced an investment in AMA Group for its growing operations in the Kingdom of Bahrain and beyond.  The investment will be in the form of a Shari’a compliant convertible Murabaha facility.

The AMA Group manages the largest network of educational institutions across Asia. The AMA Group also has various other business interests ranging from information technology, banking, real estate and agriculture.

AMA’s educational operations cover basic education from pre-schools to Grade 12 to post-secondary training to Collegiate and University programs and to post-Graduate degrees and it spans the globe from the Philippines to Hong Kong, Macau, Xiamen in China to Nigeria to Oman, Iraq, Jeddah and in Bahrain in the Gulf region.

The Group operates an International University, an International School and a Training Institute in the Kingdom of Bahrain.  The AMA University, the largest private university in the Kingdom, was established in 2002 and offers undergraduate and graduate programmes in the fields of finance and business administration, computer science and mechatronics engineering.

The University has the distinction of being the first and only ABET accredited private university in the Kingdom of Bahrain.  ABET is the leading global accrediting body in applied sciences, engineering, computing and technology with accreditors from Harvard, MIT and similar institutions.

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AMA International School, which started its operations in September 2004, is a leading K-12 learning facility.  The School is the first in Bahrain to integrate robotics in the curriculum and has recently started offering the IB Diploma Program with the approval of the IB World School.

The School incorporates an American and Cambridge curriculum paths and this is further enhanced by the world-renowned Great Explorations in Mathematics and Science (“GEMS) programme of the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley.

Mr. Hisham Alrayes, the Managing Director of GFH Capital, commented, “We are delighted to announce the investment in AMA. The Group has built its reputation for excellence and the continued growth of its various businesses, particularly in the field of education, is a testament to the group’s commitment to quality and the growth prospects for this investment.” 

“In addition to supporting GFH’s ongoing efforts to develop strong income yielding opportunities for our shareholders and investors within the GCC region and in partner nations, we are also committed to investing in sectors that support growth and sustainable development in the region with education being a key focus,” added Mr. Alrayes. 

Dr. Amable R. Aguiluz V, the Special Envoy of the Philippine President to the  GCC and the Founder-Owner of AMA, commented “we look forward to working together with GFH and leveraging their investment experience and know-how in order to further expand our operations, including the delivery of world-class educational services.” 

“AMA has already established strong foundations and market recognition for excellence and we are confident that with GFH’s support, resources and networks, we will succeed in further raising the bar and our capacity to serve an ever growing clientele from both within Bahrain and the broader GCC and MENA regions, as well as the Philippines,” continued Dr. Aguiluz.

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About GFH Capital Limited: 
GFH Capital, a subsidiary for GFH Financial Group, is a Dubai based investment bank and fund manager, providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. With a 10-year track record of top-performing investments and fund management, GFH Capital is one of the region’s long best-established private equity firms and one of the first to be licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority.

GFH Capital has undertaken and structured investments of more than USD 3 billion in over 40 companies and across 25 countries. The company has managed healthcare, technology, media, telecommunications (TMT) funds and financial institutions and is a regional leader and is a regionally recognised participant in education Technology and Health Care investments.                 

About AMA:
Founded in 1980 and headquartered in the Philippines, AMA is the largest education network in Asia and a member of the AMA Group of Companies. It is the company that manages and operates the following portfolio of schools in the Philippines: AMA Computer University, AMA Computer College, ABE International College, ACLC College, AMA Computer Learning Centers, and St. Augustine International School. The AMA Business model includes wholly owned schools, franchises and management of schools. AMA ensures the delivery of their programs through three key components: traditional classroom-based learning, synchronized learning through live-distance instruction and on-demand online learning modules. AMA schools comprise 150 campuses with over 125,000 students in the Philippines.

For further information please contact:
GFH Capital Limited
Media & Communications Department
Tel: +971 43651500
Email: [email protected]

© Press Release 2016