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UAE: NMC Healthcare will be 'sold' eventually, IPO an option, says CEO
The healthcare group was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2012, but it was delisted following financial irregularities and was placed under the administration of creditors, led by ADCB
- PUBLISHED: Thu 15 Jan 2026, 2:12 PM UPDATED: Thu 15 Jan 2026, 2:55 PM
- By:
- Waheed Abbas
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NMC Healthcare will be “sold” eventually, but shareholders are not looking at the exit strategy now, said its chief executive.
While speaking during a media briefing on Thursday, January 15, 2026, David Hadley said there could potentially be different options, such as an initial public offering (IPO), a private investor, or a sovereign wealth fund could invest as a stakeholder.
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“The company will still be sold. Of that, there is no doubt. Banks do not hold these assets for long, but right now, we are not openly looking to sell. We need to embed the changes that we've already initiated. These projects that we're busy with need to be completed, or at least near completion. We haven't started a sales process,” he said.
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Hadley confirmed that a buyer approached the company, but talks were not successful.
“We were going through a process. We had a bilateral discussion. We were approached, and we didn't, obviously, go through with any transactions, because there was no meeting of minds on how we could take the business forward. Our shareholders are very supportive of the strategy and optimistic about the future opportunities within the UAE,” he said during the briefing.
The healthcare group was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2012, but it was delisted following financial irregularities and was placed under the administration of creditors, led by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.
“IPO is an option for the banks to eventually exit, but it's not the preferred option; we're not actively looking at it right now. We want to focus on the strategy and everything that we've done. The building blocks are in place now; it's actually just about execution,” Hadley said.
“Right now, we're not looking at an exit. We're looking at delivering our strategy and getting momentum on that strategy. Our board and shareholders at this stage are not looking at an exit. But that doesn't mean that if somebody comes and approaches us, we wouldn't consider it. Ultimately, that is the outcome,” said Hadley.
“We haven't discussed whether we would do an IPO or how the shareholders would exit at this stage, but it makes sense because healthcare is consolidating across the world and within the UAE. If we could consolidate with another group, that would be a fantastic opportunity. But we're looking at all, we're looking at potentially consolidating with other groups, or private equity investors coming in, or private investors coming in, and an IPO. At this stage, that's off the cards. We want to deliver on the strategy,” he said during the interview.
He added that the UAE-based sovereign wealth funds could also potentially be part of the exit strategy, as many of them already have healthcare in their portfolio.
“There are a number of government-owned or sovereign-backed healthcare funds that you could consider as an opportunity. Plus, there's a new sovereign fund. They may be interested. So, who knows?” he said.
