GFH exits US power firm Saber with $173.5 million payout

Summary

• GFH said it exited Saber Power Services, returning about $173.5 million to investors.
• The Bahrain-based bank held a 15.05% joint stake alongside Schroders Capital.
• The exit tests GFH's strategy of recycling US private assets at high multiples.

The latest

GFH said it has completed a profitable exit from Saber Power Services, a US-based power infrastructure services company, generating cumulative net cash distributions of roughly $173.5 million to investors. The Bahraini lender said the deal returned more than 3 times invested capital over what it described as a short holding period. The exit was disclosed to Dubai Financial Market on 21 October 2026.

Details

• The stake: GFH said it held a joint 15.05% interest in Saber Power Services alongside Schroders Capital, the investment arm it partnered with on the transaction. The investment was led by Greenbelt Capital Partners, which steered the deal structure. GFH did not disclose the identity of the acquiring party.
• The return: The bank reported cumulative net cash distributions to investors of about $173.5 million, with a total return it said exceeded 3 times invested capital. GFH did not publish the original acquisition price, the internal rate of return, or the precise length of the holding period it called short.
• Deal structure: According to the disclosure, the investment combined a direct private equity position in Saber Power Services with a liquid securities portfolio designed to enhance overall yield. That hybrid design is unusual for a single-asset industrial play and allowed cash to work while the operating company was held.
• The partners: Schroders Capital, the private markets business of the UK asset manager, co-invested with GFH. Greenbelt Capital Partners, a US energy and infrastructure specialist, acted as lead investor. GFH did not break down how the proceeds were split among the three parties.
• The asset: Saber Power Services operates in the US electrical infrastructure and power services sector, a segment benefiting from grid upgrade and data center demand. GFH did not disclose the company's revenue, headcount, or the valuation at which the business changed hands.
• The disclosure: GFH filed the announcement with Dubai Financial Market under reference CMP/OCT/2026/0010, dated 21 October 2026. The bank is listed across multiple Gulf exchanges, and filings of completed exits are typically made to all of them.
• The strategy: The exit fits GFH's stated approach of acquiring US mid-market assets through co-investment vehicles, holding them for a defined period, then selling and distributing proceeds to placement investors rather than retaining the position on its own balance sheet.
• What's missing: The announcement did not state whether GFH booked a gain in its own quarterly results from the transaction, nor whether any portion of the $173.5 million accrues to the bank's shareholders as opposed to third-party investors in the vehicle.

Background

GFH is a Bahrain-headquartered financial group operating across investment banking, real estate and treasury, with holdings listed in Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. It has built much of its recent deal flow around US logistics, healthcare and infrastructure assets placed with Gulf institutional and private investors.

Between the lines

A return above 3 times capital over a short hold, on a minority 15.05% stake held with two institutional co-investors, points to an exit driven by sector repricing rather than operational turnaround. US power services valuations have been pulled upward by grid and data center demand. Because GFH did not publish entry price or hold length, the multiple cannot be converted into an annualized rate of return.

What's next

Watch GFH's next quarterly results for how much of the gain lands on its own income statement, and for disclosure of further US asset sales from the same co-investment pipeline.

Source: GFH disclosure to Dubai Financial Market