Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India’s deal activity started the year on a strong note with 217 agreements worth $9 billion in January, a report showed on February 11. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity (PE) deals witnessed a 19 per cent increase in volumes over December 2024, according to Grant Thornton Bharat Dealtracker.
Encouragingly, deal values surged 66 per cent, driven by significant deals in the billion-dollar club and $100 million-plus category.
“The Indian deal landscape is poised for a strong 2025, with January’s numbers setting a positive tone. The growth in the deal activity, the surge in big ticket deals and the increased deal activity across key sectors like retail, IT, and pharma, all point to a promising year ahead,” said Shanthi Vijetha, Partner, Growth at Grant Thornton Bharat.
Indian businesses’ ambitions for domestic and global expansions and resilience of the domestic markets will continue to be the main themes.
India’s M&A landscape witnessed a notable uptick in January, with 69 deals valued at $5.4 billion.
Several prominent players, including the Adani Group, HDFC Bank, and Kore Digital, made significant acquisitions, with three deals each.
Notably, inbound transactions saw a substantial surge, with values increasing by 6.6 times over the previous month, boosted by Wilmar International’s billion-dollar acquisition of Adani Wilmar’s Staples business.
The country’s PE landscape continued to show upward momentum in January, with 129 deals valued at $2.1 billion. This represents a 21 per cent growth in PE volumes over December, when 107 deals were recorded, and a 16 per cent increase in deal values, rising from $1.8 billion to $2.09 billion.
Sectoral deal activity in January was led by retail and consumer, which saw a 46 per cent increase in deal volumes and 4 per cent rise in values. Energy and natural resources witnessed a remarkable upswing, with deal values soaring nearly 30 times, said the report. IT and ITes recorded the second-highest volumes, with deal values increasing 2.6 times.
