São Paulo – Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of companies grew by 68.7% in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to news published this Monday (4) by the Gulf News’ website from Dubai, based on data from Mergermarket, a provider of M&A data and intelligence. Deal values climbed from USD 15.86 billion in 2017 to USD 26.76 billion last year.
According to the story, the significant growth in deal value was driven by increased deal-making in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and North Africa. In the UAE, mergers and acquisitions more than doubled in 2018 to 10.4 billion. The total deal values in the country amounted to almost 40% of the total registered in the region.
“MENA M&A had a bumper year, particularly in H1, although the second half was somewhat muted by macro factors,” said Elaine Green, editor of Mergermarket EMEA Bureaus. According to her, 2019 is expected to see continued pickup in M&A, with deals that have been waiting in the wings coming to fruition.
Cross-border MENA deals, which totaled deals worth $14.21 billion. It was the highest volume of inbound M&A on record, according to Mergermarket. Domestic M&A reached a worth USD 12.5 billion. The increase in domestic activity was driven by Saudi Arabia in the sectors of finances and oil. “Transport and city development remains a growth driver across MENA, despite bankers warning of real estate market headwinds in the UAE,” said Green.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
