According to EY's recent Transactions Quarterly report, there were 190 deals with a total disclosed deal value of USD 7.0 billion in the second quarter of this year, while transactions worth USD 6.1 billion were announced in the corresponding period last year.
However, deal volume (number of deals) declined 8 per cent as compared to the corresponding quarter last year.
The 14 per cent jump in aggregate disclosed deal value was predominantly due to four mega deals (USD 500 million and above), which contributed around USD 4 billion and accounted for 57 per cent of the total disclosed deal value during April-June this year.
"While the relative softening in deal activity reflects the overall tepid nature of the global M&A market, the deal activity was more pronounced on the domestic front on account of some mega deals and driven by a need to consolidate," said Amit Khandelwal, Partner and National Director, Transaction Advisory Services, EY.
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"Inbound activity also saw an increase owing to global investors' continued interest in India. We expect the M&A activity to remain stable over the coming months," Khandelwal added.
The largest deal involving home-grown companies during the quarter was the announced acquisition of Welspun Renewables Energy by Tata Power Renewable for USD 1.4 billion.
In another deal, JSW Energy announced to acquire Jindal Steel and Power Limited's 1,000 MW power plant in Chhattisgarh for USD 977 million.
"These big-ticket transactions, especially in the power sector, were distressed asset sales by leveraged corporations to deleverage their balance sheets.
"These deals are anticipated to gain further prominence in coming months, with banks' stringent view on non-performing assets," the report said.
Nevertheless, with the long-term outlook on India remaining robust, the activity should pick-up pace once the global political and economic scenario become more settled.