Gulf Finance House to Seek US$500 Million in Additional Equity

SWI (Search for "Wise" Investors) Project 

The Large Array at Jabal Dukhan Bahrain

Asa Fitch over at The National reports that GFH has issued a press release in which it advises that it intends to call a shareholders' general meeting to approve:

1. A reduction in paid in capital (4 old shares for one new) in order to absorb accumulated losses in retained earnings.  Like other GCC states, Bahrain has a law that when a company's accumulated losses reach 75% of paid-in-capital, it must take action to eliminate those losses.  That can be done by raising new capital.  Or by reducing paid in capital and using reserves (if available) to offset the losses.  As a financial institution, GFH, has to maintain a minimum 12% CAR and so unless it could reduce assets (which it cannot without incurring more losses), the bank has to raise new capital.
2. The issuance of US$500 million in new equity.  This is up from the US$300 million originally mooted by GFH.  It's unclear why the increase.  It may have found that there is substantial demand for its new shares.  I find that hard to believe.  It seems to me that with its track record and current market conditions, raising even US$300 million would have been a very hard sell.  Hence the picture above.  Alternatively, it may be that the additional amount is designed to cover the US$137 million in 2Q10 provisions that GFH magically turned into an asset. 

At 30 June 2010, GFH's capital structure was composed of:

1. Paid in Capital US$626 million
2. Share Premium US$206 million
3. Treasury Shares (US$23 million)
4. Reserves US$88 million
5. Accumulated Losses (US$480 million)  Equal to 77% of PIC.
6. Total Equity of US$417 million.  
7. If the "magic" provision assets of US$137 million are factored in, Accumulated Losses are (US$617 million), resulting in Total Equity of US$280 million.

GFH are savvy enough to know that a failed rights offering would be an extremely unhelpful event.  So either this is an act of desperation (perhaps motivated by its auditors awakening to the US$137 million charade) or GFH has found some wise investors to carry the issue.   And that may become evident if the Board proposes that shareholders approve a structure under which any shares unsubscribed for in the Rights Offering be placed by the Board with "strategic" investors.

One tactic the Bank can use is to mitigate its deal failure risk is to obtain shareholder approval to issue up to US$500 million over a period (usually the maximum is two or three years I think but am not certain).  In this way it could issue multiple tranches so that the amount it brings to the market at any one time is more digestible. 

As to the motives behind the raising of new equity, I think these include more than just funding operating expenses:

1. Regulatory compliance.  GFH's CAR is "on the wire".
2. Market credibility.  New equity would be a demonstration of confidence in the future, though a failure will be a major setback.
3. Funding for upcoming debt repayments.
4. Funding for operating expenses.