PE investments hit record high of $14 bn in Jan-Sep

Private equity investments in the country hit an all-time record high of USD 13.8 billion in the first nine months of this year, while the deals worth USD 6.1 billion in the sector were sealed in the July-September quarter, says a PwC report.
According to the PwC MoneyTree India report, a quarterly study of private equity investment activity based on data provided by Venture Intelligence, the third quarter has seen investments doubling compared to the same period last year when USD 2.9 billion worth of transactions were announced.
"The government's commitment to growth and actions on reforms is expected to keep the India story positive. The central bank's decision to revise the interest rate downward will only provide a better platform for industries," PwC India leader, Private Equity, Sanjeev Krishan said.

Moreover, with worldwide anxiety around China's economy slowing and commodity prices not likely to see significant improvement in the foreseeable future, the next few quarters (years) can only lead to heightened interest from all investors in Indian assets, Krishan added.
On a quarter on quarter basis, there was a 36 per cent rise as April-June quarter of 2015 saw investments of USD 4.5 billion.
Sector-wise, the information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITeS) sector attracted bigger deals, comprising 58 per cent of the total deal value at USD 3.6 billion from 112 deals.

"The technology sector has once again emerged as the leader in terms of value and volume of investments, with e-commerce leading the pack," PwC India leader - Technology Sandeep Ladda said.

Ladda added that "given the Modi government's objectives of enabling a start-up ecosystem in India through the 'Digital India' and 'Start-up India, Stand up India' campaigns, we expect exciting times ahead for the tech community."
Meanwhile, the energy sector, attracted USD 549 million in seven deals, while a single deal in telecom brought the sector to the limelight with a USD 500-million investment.
In terms of cities, Bangalore beat out Mumbai by a narrow margin in terms of geography, with investments worth USD 1.8 billion. Mumbai, in comparison, attracted USD 1.7 billion, the report said.