Bahrain based Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C. (Ticker: ABRAAJ) (“Company”), a public listed company on the Bahrain Bourse, announced that it has put Bitcoin on its balance sheet. As per the news on Zawya, the Group has purchased Bitcoin in partnership with U.S. based 10X Capital, becoming the first publicly traded company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”), and the Middle East to acquire Bitcoin as a treasury asset.
Al Abraaj has acquired an initial amount of 5 Bitcoin with plans to build on this initial purchase and begin allocating a significant portion of its corporate treasury into Bitcoin.
As per the announcement, Al Abraaj considers Bitcoin to be its reserve treasury asset. Al Abraaj is a profitable company, with 2024 EBITDA of USD $12.5 million. This move is designed to enhance the company’s asset portfolio and capitalize on emerging opportunities within the capital markets. Al Abraaj aims to innovate with shari’a compliant financial instruments to give the Islamic world broader exposure to Bitcoin.
The Company has partnered with 10X Capital, the NYC-based investment firm with a track record of managing treasury assets for publicly listed companies, and advising and capitalizing listed Bitcoin Treasury Companies, including most recently advising Nakamoto on its $710M financing (Nasdaq:KDLY), the largest capital raise to launch a Bitcoin Treasury Company and the largest private placement for any public bitcoin-related transaction ever. In collaboration with 10X, the Company plans to raise capital to acquire additional Bitcoin, with a goal of maximizing Bitcoin per share.
“Our initiative towards becoming a Bitcoin Treasury Company reflects our forward-thinking approach and dedication to maximizing shareholder value,” said Abdulla Isa, Chairman of the Bitcoin Treasury Committee of Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C.. “We believe that Bitcoin will play a pivotal role in the future of finance, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this transformation in the Kingdom of Bahrain. 10X is a proven leader in advising and bringing capital to listed Bitcoin Treasury Companies, and we welcome their partnership in helping us build the MicroStrategy of the Middle East.”
“I’d like to congratulate Abdalla Isa and the team at Al Abraaj for adopting Bitcoin at the corporate treasury level, finally enabling anyone in the GCC with a brokerage account to gain Bitcoin exposure,” said Hans Thomas, CEO of 10X Capital. “Bahrain continues to be a leader in the Middle East in Bitcoin adoption, backed by a forward-thinking regulatory framework.” Mr. Thomas added, “The GCC, with a combined GDP of $2.2 trillion—larger than Canada, Russia, Italy, Brazil, Australia, South Korea, or Spain—over $6 trillion in sovereign wealth funds, and a population of just 57.6 million, has until now lacked a publicly listed Bitcoin treasury company like Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR), Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA), or Metaplanet (Tokyo: 3350.T). That changes today with ABRAAJ’s historic Bitcoin purchase, giving investors across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman access to Bitcoin through a publicly traded stock. In fact, almost anyone in the world can buy ABRAAJ stock by registering with the Bahrain Bourse.”
Al Abraaj Restaurants Group B.S.C. will implement robust custody, portfolio risk management and governance policies to oversee its Bitcoin holdings, including by creating a Bitcoin Committee that will consist of experienced Bitcoin investors and portfolio managers and global capital markets experts. The company intends to provide regular updates to shareholders and stakeholders regarding its Bitcoin-related activities.
Recently Michael Saylor encouraged sovereign wealth funds in GCC to invest in Bitcoin.
