Deloitte estimates Romania's M&A market at EUR 1.6-1.8 bln in first half

The mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions closed in Romania in the second quarter of this year amounted to EUR 391 million, based on disclosed deals, up by over 50% compared to the first quarter. According to Deloitte's internal estimates, the total market value, including transactions that did not have their value reported, was between EUR 1.1 and 1.3 billion, a significant rise versus the second quarter of 2017. “In the first half of the year, the trend of not reporting the value of transactions has accentuated. Based on our estimates, the total value of the M&A market reached EUR 1.6 – 1.8 bn. in the first six months of 2018,” said Ioana Filipescu, Partner Corporate Finance, Deloitte Romania. M&A market players had a busy time in the second quarter of the year, overseeing a total of 27 transactions, compared to 21 in the same period of last year. The biggest deals announced in Q2 were Vodafone's acquisition of Liberty Global’s operations (UPC Romania), which is part of a larger international transaction, Erste’s acquisition of a 6.3% stake in BCR from local investment company SIF Oltenia, for EUR 140 million, and the acquisition of local pharmaceutical distribution and retail group Farmexim – Help Net by German group Phoenix, also with an undisclosed value. editor@romania-insider.com