OCI

Company Description

OCI Global is a European producer and distributor of nitrogen-based products including fertilizers, methanol, and ammonia—basic chemicals essential for agriculture and industry. Farmers use OCI's nitrogen fertilizers to boost crop yields, while its methanol is used to make plastics, adhesives, and increasingly as a cleaner fuel alternative. The company underwent a dramatic transformation in 2024, selling most of its operating businesses to focus on becoming an investment vehicle. OCI divested its methanol operations to Methanex, its Fertiglobe stake to ADNOC, the Iowa Fertilizer Company to Koch Industries, and its Clean Ammonia project to Woodside Energy. These transactions generated over $11.6 billion in gross proceeds, allowing the company to return $3.3 billion to shareholders and repay $1.8 billion in debt. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Amsterdam, OCI evolved from an Egyptian construction company into a global nitrogen and methanol producer. The Sawiris family, one of Egypt's wealthiest business dynasties, has been the driving force behind OCI's growth and recent strategic restructuring. With a significantly reduced workforce of approximately 1,100 employees following the divestitures, OCI is now entering a new development phase. The company retains nitrogen operations in the Netherlands and is completing a Clean Ammonia facility in Texas (expected late 2025). Under new CEO Hassan Badrawi (who took over in October 2024), OCI plans to redeploy its multi-billion-dollar equity capacity into new investments and M&A opportunities while continuing to return capital to shareholders.