The value of mergers and acquisitions announced in the MENA region increased 42% y/y to USD 44.8bn in 2012 despite a mild 4% retreat in number of deals to 398, according to a report by Ernst &Young published by BusinessIntelligence Middle East. In Q4, the value of M&A jumped 84% to USD 13.3bn. The UAE topped the region in terms of M&A value at USD 13.5bn followed by Qatar at USD 11.2bn and Kuwait at USD 3.9bn. The UAE saw the largest number of M&A deals in 2012 at 77 transactions, followed by Qatar at 48 and Saudi Arabia at 33 deals. |
Bahrain Middle East Bank made a USD 13mn full repayment of a loan obligation including a USD 1.4mn interest payment taking total repayments by the troubled lender to USD 43mn, the bank said in ... more
National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the UAE's largest lender by market value, initiated a USD 17mn fifteen-year Uridashi bond, MENA's first ever, allowing the bank to directly access Japanese ... more
The GCC economies remain insulated from economic and political turbulence in the MENA region and globally but structural challenges continue to constrain sovereign ratings, ratings agency ... more