Please find attached our Offshore-i report on transactions for
the fourth quarter of 2012. Offshore-i provides data and insight
about the mergers and acquisition activity going on in the major
offshore jurisdictions around the globe, where we do the majority
of our business.
The key themes emerging from the report show that in the fourth
quarter of 2012:
- The number of deals involving offshore targets amounted to 590, up 27% over the previous quarter. This is easily the biggest rise quarter-to-quarter in the last three years
- The cumulative value of offshore deals was USD101.8bn, up 202% on the previous three months and 282% on Q4 2011
- The average deal size was USD173m – by far the largest average of the last 12 quarters
- The financial services and insurance sector continues to dominate offshore M&A activity, accounting for 30% of all deals completed
- Minority stake transactions remain the most popular deal type by volume. However, acquisitions overtook them in terms of value, accounting for 70% of the money spent
- There were just 28 IPOs and planned IPOs recorded in Q4, 2012 – this compares to 43 in the same quarter of 2011
- Cayman remains the most attractive destination for investors looking offshore, with BVI being the busiest market by value. The value of deals was also up significantly in Hong Kong and Guernsey
- Where offshore companies are acquirers, BVI continues to lead by volume, with 139 deals recorded
- The offshore region ranks fifth globally by value of M&A deals, on par with that of Eastern Europe, the Nordic States, Africa and the Middle East combined
Please click here to read a summary version of the report.
If you would like to receive the full report for this quarter, please email offshore-i@applebyglobal.com stating your name and organisation.
We hope that you find the analysis in Offshore-i useful. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with your usual Appleby contact should you have any questions.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
