Kuwaiti businessman Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi has taken a 3 per cent stake in Ferretti, adding a new international name to an ownership structure already under close scrutiny as shareholders continue to wrestle for position.

The holding, acquired through Al-Kharafi’s investment vehicle BNK Holding and disclosed on Tuesday, 20 January, would imply a valuation in the range of €30 to €40 million, based on Ferretti’s market capitalisation around the time of the acquisition.

BNK described the move as part of a broader strategy to build a global portfolio focused on high-end assets and high-quality companies (language that will sound familiar to anyone tracking recent developments around the Italian yacht builder).

On its own, it’s a relatively modest stake. But, in the current Ferretti boardroom context, it is harder to ignore. The shipyard has become an increasingly contested asset, as existing investors seek to consolidate influence and unresolved governance questions keep the balance of power in play.

There is no obvious maritime backstory here either. BNK Holding does not have a publicly disclosed track record in builders, shipyards or marine services, marking this as Al-Kharafi’s first disclosed move into the yacht market.

Al-Kharafi comes from Kuwait’s Al-Kharafi family, founders of M.A. Kharafi & Sons and has built his own corporate footprint across telecoms, industrial and consumer sectors. He is chairman of Boursa Kuwait, chief executive of Zain Group and deputy chairman of Gulf Cables, as well as a shareholder and board member of Coca-Cola Kuwait. While his personal net worth is not publicly disclosed, Zain Group has reported assets of around $16 billion under his leadership.

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