div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpDUBAI Reuters – Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC, now known as e&, said on Saturday it has acquired a 9.8 stake in Vodafone for 4.4 billion.p
pThe move came days after e& said it is looking to expand into new markets in Africa, Europe and Asia and in areas outside telecoms such as financial technology as its seeks to drive growth.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv
pThe United Arab Emiratesbased telecommunications firm said it made the investment to gain “significant exposure to a world leader in connectivity and digital services”.p
pUAE‘s e& has no intention to make an offer to buy Vodafone, saying it is fully supportive of the company’s board and existing management team and its current business strategy.p
p“We see this investment as a good opportunity for e& and its shareholders as it will allow us to enhance and develop our international portfolio, in line with our strategic ambition,” said CEO Hatem Dowidar.p
pThe UAE firm recently separated its business into consumer servicesfocused e& life, and e& enterprise to provide digital services to government and business, and telecoms arm Etisalat, which its CEO said is the worlds seventh largest by market capitalisation.p
p
pp Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru and Saeed Azhar in Dubai Editing by Kirsten Donovanp
divdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivdivdiv
