Transactions take the front page of world’s business publications. Wall-Street outlays, in third successive year, the biggest 20 corporate deals in first ten months this year according to two criteria: transactions value and its impact in the field.
Value of mergers and acquisitions in Romania closed in first nine months of this year amounted to 1.246 billion US dollars, after 126 million euros in third quarter, lower than Q3 in 2007, according to Wall-Street calculations.
If in first half 2008, 24 corporate deals were closed that amounted 1.3 billion euros, the past three months have geared only 126 million euros in 7 large transactions, in the context of international crisis.
Biggest transactions announced for July – September 2008 were the Piraeus Bank’s take over of 51% stake in Capital Partners, for 32 million euros, the 53 million euros – transaction between Macon Deva, held by Polish-based investment fund Enterprise Investors, and Simcor Oradea, headed by Stache Lutz and Mihai Voiculescu, and 20 million euros deal in which Russian Luxoft acquired local ITC Networks.
In August, low-sized deals were carried out: Unirea Medical Center bought 50% of AvaMedica for 700,000 euros, RTC Holding headed by businessman Octavian Radu sold the downstream division of IT&C ProCa to RHS holding headed by Dragos Popescu, for 3-5 million euros, and Marius Ghenea’s deal of selling metallic tiles producer VikingProfil to Polish group Pruszynski for approximately 3 million euros.
The transactions’ number and size dropped in the last quarter compared to similar interval of last year, and less than previous quarters this year. Investment bankers surveyed by Wall-Street say the financial crisis spawned on the M&A market in Romania as well.
“Everything spins around the global financial markets’ status – all players are on hold waiting for the next m
