Alef Education pays out 2025 dividend of $118m

Shareholders of Alef Education Holding have approved dividend distribution of AED224 million ($61 million) for the second half of 2025.

The approval brings the total dividend paid to AED433 million ($118 million) for last year, the company said in a statement.

Shareholders also approved the board’s recommendation to distribute an interim cash dividend, equivalent to 90 percent of the company’s profit, for the first half of 2026.

Revenues rose 1.4 percent year on year to AED770 million, driven by the stability of its core UAE portfolio, private schools and expanding international operations.

Net profit rose to AED481 million, up 8 percent year on year, due to improved cost efficiencies and higher contributions from newly secured contracts, partially offset by increased corporate tax.

Alef Education, the first education technology company listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, held AED620 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of 2025, supported by a debt-free balance sheet. 

The company has over 120,000 paying private-school students, representing 36 percent of the UAE private-school market, said CEO Geoffrey Alphonso.

Further reading:

• UAE teachers resilient in face of Iran conflict
• UAE schools roll out AI curriculum amid teacher shortage
• Alef Education IPO 39 times oversubscribed

Alef Education was founded in the UAE in 2016. It entered the US market in 2018, followed by Indonesia in 2021 and Morocco in 2022. It entered the Qatar market in 2023 through a reseller agreement.

The company’s shares closed nearly 1 percent higher at AED1.06 on April 1 but are down nearly 4 percent so far this year.

Tech Nova Investment, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Capital Group, owns 68 percent of Alef Education.