Safanad sells UK care home giant to US REIT: Riyadh- and New York-based private equity firm Safanad fully exited HC-One — the UK’s largest care home operator — to the US-based healthcare REIT Welltower for north of USD 1.6 bn (GBP 1.2 bn), according to an SEC filing. The sale ends Safanad’s decade-long investment in the company and frees up capital for its healthcare push across the Kingdom and the wider GCC, it said in a separate press release.

Why it matters: HC-One now operates close to 300 care homes with roughly 15k residents. By round-tripping this international asset, Safanad wants to show it can build an institutional-grade business that attracts global exit capital — an experience it is now positioning for deployment closer to home.

Capital lines up for redeployment: Safanad has been actively deploying capital across the region under its USD 3 bn five-year investment program run through its Safanad KSA platform, targeting what it calls social infrastructure. Separately, Safanad operates the Nexus Gulf healthcare platform, which targets long-term care, diagnostics, and rehabilitation, alongside investments in education through Global School Management — with a USD 200 mn MENA mandate — and digital infrastructure, including a USD 1 bn US data-center platform aimed at linking capacity to rising GCC demand.

Our take

Scrutiny hasn’t killed buyer appetite: The UK care home sector has been under sustained regulatory and political scrutiny in recent years, particularly around leverage, ownership structures, and the role of private equity. Against this backdrop, the successful sale of a scaled operator like HC-One to institutional capital is notable, highlighting how mature platforms can still command buyer interest once operational and balance-sheet risks are stabilized.

Ashmore snaps up stake in Pharco KSA

London-based investment manager Ashmore acquired a minority stake in Pharco KSA, the Saudi arm of Pharco Pharma, through a primary capital increase, according to a statement (pdf). The transaction marks the inaugural investment under the Ashmore Saudi Industrial Fund and was anchored by the Saudi Investment Company.

ADVISORS- Our friends at EFG Hermes acted as the sole financial advisors on the transaction.

What they said: “This transaction highlights the growing [potential] for deeper integration between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the wider region,” Co-Head of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes Maged El Ayouti said.

ALSO- Pharco is opening its first plant in Saudi Arabia by 2027, marking its first industrial foray beyond Egypt, CEO Sherine Helmy told Asharq Business. The first phase of manufacturing in the Kingdom will focus on solid pharma forms, which represent roughly 70% of market demand. The facility plans to later expand production into biological drugs, vaccines, and other specialized treatments, Helmy said.

Tags: