Kuwait leads region in deal-making

Kuwait led the way in regional mergers and acquisition deal-making by volume and value in the third quarter of 2009, according to the latest Zephyr report published by Bureau Van Dijk.

Deal numbers in the region were up by a fifth quarter-on-quarter from 10 to 12 but the largest gain was in monetary terms, with transaction value surging from $272 million (Dh998.24m) to $14.29bn in three months.

The total value of deals targeting Kuwait was 27 times that of the nearest rival, Bahrain, and was more than the combined total of all other Middle East transactions.