The value of transactions registered in Romania, during 2020, decreased by 27% compared to 2019, to 1.7 billion euro, reveals a report published by consultants from Mazars, in association with Mergermarket.

At the level of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, transactions reached 49.2 billion euro, up 11% year-on-year, but excluding Russia, the largest economy included in the region, the increase was of 28%. However, the volume of transactions decreased by 16%, to a total of 648 transactions.

According to the report, international investors continue to be attracted by the region, generating 49% of the total value of transactions, with investments of 23.9 billion euros, a level similar to previous years, according to Agerpres.

Also, the capital funds remained very active in 2020, with a total number of declared acquisitions in the region increasing by 40%, up to 3.9 billion euros. At the same time, the exits had good results, with a total declared value of 8.1 billion euros, up 11% compared to 2019 data.

The M&A (M&A) market in the CEE region remains dominated by four countries: Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. In this context, Russia recorded four of the ten largest transactions of 2020, while the largest transaction took place in Austria, where the Austrian oil company OMV increased its stake in the petrochemical company Borealis from 36% to 75%, for which it paid 5.712 billion euro.

At the same time, the technology sector experienced a significant leap, with 57 transactions worth 2.5 billion euros, an annual increase of 12% in volume and 34% in value.

Another top sector is energy and utilities, which recorded a turnover of 9.1 billion euros (+20%, compared to 2019), while cross-border transactions in the region increased to 13% of the total value, from 6% in 2019, the highest level in the last five years.