DefinePK

Abstract

With rising growth rates and per capita income levels on the Indian subcontinent, foreign direct investment in the region, especially through mergers and acquisitions, has increased over the past decade. Using transaction data regarding the industry affiliation of the target and acquiring firms, deal size, deal structure, and deal completion rates from a worldwide M&A database compiled by Thomson Reuters’ Financial Services, this paper aims to provide contemporary and comparative information on merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka over the last decade, 2010-2019. The findings have shown that the M&A transaction value and the number of deals in these four South Asian countries increased over this period. Similarities and differences among the four countries are discussed and compared.