Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
Middle East and North Africa mergers and acquisitions rose 19 per cent in the first half of 2025 to $58.7 billion, driven by sovereign wealth funds, cross-border flows, and strong deal activity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
According to the latest EY Mena M&A Insights report, the number of transactions jumped 31pc year on year to 425, marking one of the busiest half-year periods for the region.
The findings come alongside data from the London Stock Exchange Group, which reported last month that Mena M&A surged 149pc in the same period to $115.5bn, the highest first-half total since 1980.
Earlier in February, US-based investment bank Morgan Stanley described the M&A momentum in the region as a “structural upswing” in deal volume and value, driven by regulatory reforms and strategic policy shifts across the region.
“The positive performance in the first half of 2025 underscores the strength, dynamism, and resilience of Mena’s M&A market,” said Brad Watson, Mena EY-Parthenon leader.
He added: “We are witnessing record-breaking cross-border activity as investors look beyond short-term volatility, actively pursuing scale, innovation, and new market opportunities.”
The UAE dominated regional activity, attracting $25.4bn worth of deals, while Saudi Arabia recorded $2.5bn. Transactions were concentrated in chemicals, technology, industrials and real estate.
“The UAE, in particular, remains a magnet for global capital, supported by a stable regulatory framework and a focus on economic diversification, while regional partnerships with Europe, Asia, and North America are opening doors to fresh growth channels,” said Watson.
Cross-border transactions within the region reached their highest level in five years, making up 55pc of total deal volume and 78pc of total deal value, amounting to 233 deals worth $45.9bn.
The chemicals and technology sectors dominated, contributing 67pc of cross-border deal value, highlighted by major transactions such as Borealis and OMV’s $16.5bn acquisition of a 64pc stake in Borouge.
Compared to the first half of 2024, cross-border deal volume rose 40pc, while value increased 7pc, signalling growing international investor confidence in the Mena region.
Regional growth mirrors global trends, with WTW, a global advisory and insurance firm, reporting 339 deals worth more than $100 million worldwide in the first half of 2025, up slightly from 332 a year earlier.
In July, Devvrat Gaggar, Middle East M&A consulting director at WTW, said “geopolitical uncertainty may be the new normal, and dealmakers are adapting by finding ways to generate long-term value.”
He added: “While North America is lagging, Europe, Asia, and increasingly the Middle East, are seeing renewed confidence and momentum in dealmaking.”
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
Comments are closed.