By A Correspondent
As per EY’s latest Transactions Annual report, Indian M&A ended the year 2017 with 1,022 deals with a disclosed value of US$46.8 billion. While the deal volume reached a record high (as compared to 895 deals in 2016) since 2010, the deal value was lower by 12 per cent from US$53.2 billion in the previous year. Primary deal drivers for the year were aimed at market expansion and entry into new markets, digital disruption and sector convergence.
Said Amit Khandelwal, Partner and National Leader, Transaction Advisory Services, EY: “India recorded a healthy M&A activity in calendar year 2017. While there was an increase in the number of deals, they were concentrated in the lower bands US$20 million. The big ticket deals were fewer in number in 2017 when compared with 2016 as corporates held back from venturing into big ticket acquisitions. In addition, the timeline of some of the big-ticket deals got stretched due to increased scrutiny by the regulators and complex deal structures.
The momentum in volume of deals is expected to sustain in the coming year as the Government chalks out a comprehensive reforms plan for 2018 to improve the business and investment climate. Sectors like technology, life sciences and financial services are expected to attract significant investor attention.â€