Credits
Energy, especially renewables, plus mining and utilities are driving deals in the region, with growing optimism about the future. This material was created in association with Mergermarket.
Appetite for renewables assets propels early-year Iberian activity
Post Covid-19 prospects in Iberia are brightening fast.
Spain’s central bank raised its 2021 growth forecast to 6.2% and the OECD is projecting a 3.7% in Portugal’s GDP for 2021 up to 4.9% in 2022.
Reassured Iberian dealmakers announced a record 320 deals (76 more than in the same period last year) worth €31.3bn – up 54.6% in value compared to H1 2020.
Spain continues to take the lion’s share – 287 deals valued at €29.2bn – the highest half-yearly deal value in three years, with the biggest being IFM Investors’ €5.1bn acquisition of a 22.7% stake in Madrid-listed Naturgy Energy Group.
International buyers are showing significant interest, with a 35% rise in the number of deals compared with the first half of 2020, already the equivalent of 77% of 2020’s annual total value (€30.8bn). And bidders from outside Europe accounted for five of the biggest deals.
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