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On 7 July, Mergermarket, in collaboration with Datasite, hosted a panel discussion of senior legal and financial advisors, as well as M&A managers, to explore the impact that COVID-19 has had on Middle East M&A and private equity (PE) markets.  

Our moderator was Elaine Green, Editor MergermarketEMEA Bureaus, and the panelists were Alexandra Balafa, Managing Director,HC Middle East LIMITED, Anil Menon, MENA M&A and ECM Leader, EY, PietroCastranovo-MD/Alvarez & Marshal (UAE) and John Komninakidis, Vice President- Middle East, Turkey & Greece from Datasite, partner of the webinar.

The panelists provided insights on theM&A and PE activity before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that inthe second half of the year the market in the Middle East is the most active one and investors are still optimistic about the months ahead. 

The panel also discussed how government intervention will continue in the long term and specifically in some sectors, such as supporting the further acceleration of the vibrant digital transformation and e-commerce, supply chain reinvention, in particular for some affected sectors like food suppliers and medicines. 

Restructuring plays were also seen as a key feature of upcoming M&A, especially with regard to the divestment on non-core assets. Valuations have also come down, which could drive further consolidation, some of the panelists suggested.

View the full discussion in the video above and check the live polling questions to understand the market sentiment.