M&A deals in India decline 16.9% to $25.8 billion in Q1, says report

Inbound M&A activity went up 17.2% from a year ago

Mergers & acquisitions (M&A) touched $25.8 billion in the first quarter of 2019, a 16.9 per cent fall compared to a strong start in the first quarter of 2018, ­­­but still elevated compared to historical levels.

The number of announced deals slowed down 12.9 per cent from a year ago; the average deal size for transactions with disclosed values fell to $98.5 million during this period from $103.2 million. Domestic M&A stood at $16.3 billion, a 28.5 per cent fall as the number of announced domestic deals slowed down 21.1 per cent.

Total cross-border M&A topped $8.2 billion, up 5.8 per cent. Inbound M&A activity went up 17.2 per cent from a year ago, while outbound fell 32.2 per cent. Completed involving Indian companies totalled $23.5 billion, up 13.4 per cent in deal value compared to the first quarter of 2018 ($20.7 billion), despite a 16.6 per cent decline in number of completed deals.