Updates March 17 story with Macquarie comment in paragraph 5
KPC seeks non-binding offers by April 7 despite challenges
Saudi Arabia asset sales among other deals continuing
Macquarie says it remains committed to the region
Other Gulf deals proceed cautiously
By Hadeel Al Sayegh, Federico Maccioni and Andres Gonzalez
March 18 (Reuters) - Macquarie MQG.AX has withdrawn from bidding for a stake in Kuwait's oil pipeline network worth up to $7 billion, two people familiar with the matter said, becoming one of the first known investors to pull out of a Gulf deal due to the Iran war.
The Australian infrastructure investor notified Kuwait Petroleum Corporation on Friday that it was exiting the process because of the conflict and uncertain outlook, one person said, as dealmakers try to press ahead with the transaction despite unprecedented regional volatility.
The move is a sign that the conflict is cooling investor enthusiasm for the Gulf, where millions of barrels of crude are stranded after Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait has no export route for its crude other than the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, through which a fifth of global oil supply normally flows.
"Macquarie Asset Management has been and will continue to be committed to the region and is actively progressing discussions on long‑term investment opportunities across the region, including in Kuwait," Macquarie's head of infrastructure for the EMEA region, Martin Bradley, said in an emailed statement to Reuters, without commenting on the specific pipeline deal.
PRESSING AHEAD WITH THE SALE
Companies and their advisers are trying to proceed with the sale even as uncertainty over valuations and execution risks mounts, more than half a dozen dealmakers told Reuters.
KPC launched the sale just hours before Iranian missiles first struck Gulf cities late last month, a third source said. Though KPC has declared force majeure and cut production, its bankers are still pursuing a deal, the three sources said. Advisers have sent out documents to potential investors and are seeking non-binding offers by April 7, the sources added.
Investors previously reported to have shown interest include BlackRock and KKR. Reuters was unable to determine whether they remained interested. Uncertainty over future volumes and the network's proximity to Iranian military assets is clouding the picture.
KPC and BlackRock did not immediately reply to requests for comment. KKR declined to comment.
DEALMAKING CONTINUES, CAUTIOUSLY
Other deals are still being pursued.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Financial District is seeking to sell its district cooling assets for more than $500 million, two other sources told Reuters, with non-binding offers submitted in the first week of March.
KAFD was not immediately available for comment.
Saudi infrastructure firm SISCO Holding is also pushing ahead with a water asset sale worth about 1 billion riyals ($266 million), said one of those sources and another. SISCO was not immediately available for comment.
Another source said it was unrealistic for sellers to set tight deadlines, with investors having to make decisions amid airstrikes and economic uncertainty.
Some investors are reviewing material adverse change clauses on deals generally, options that allow them to back out of agreements, while financing could also become harder to raise if lenders demand higher interest rates for exposure to local corporates.
"We are seeing a degree of caution, particularly around transactions that were already underway, with some clients taking a little more time to progress to completion," said Anshul Gupta, KPMG's partner and head of deal advisory for the Middle East, adding that talks with clients remained active.
"We also expect capital to remain available, although pricing is likely to reflect broader market conditions in the near term."
Imad Ghandour, co-founder and managing director of private equity firm CedarBridge Capital Partners, said his company was proceeding with a couple of transactions despite current events.
"We strongly believe that GCC macro trends will persist," he said, referring to the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
(Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh and Federico Maccioni in Dubai, and Andres Gonzalez in London. Additional reporting by Yousef Saba in Cairo and Nazih Osseiran in Beirut. Editing by Mark Potter and Andrei Khalip)
((hadeel.alsayegh@tr.com; +971566883310))