Mergers and acquisitions, or M&A, in short, are an important phenomenon in the business world. It has the capacity to reshape, re-alter and redefine business sentiments, and open up new business opportunities which can be even imagined.

On the contrary, some M&As signify destruction, and mayhem, as it can totally wipe out businesses and create havoc all around.

In our year-end special, we present you 5 major M&As which rocked the business world in India and essentially reshaped the corporate structure.

On March 20th, Indian telecom changed forever when Idea Cellular decided to merge with Vodafone, and create India’s largest telecom company; which is also World’s 2nd largest telecom company after China Mobile.

The reason for this massive M&A was Reliance Jio’s disruption in the telecom industry with their introduction of dirt cheap data and free handsets.

The new entity is valued at Rs 1.55 lakh crores, with 400 million subscribers. In comparison, Airtel has 270 million users.

The entry of Jio had multiple side-effects: Vodafone and Idea merger was not the only major M&A. Airtel acquired Telenor India in the month of February, to create a combined database of 315 million subscribers. But, that is not all!

In the month of October, Tata Teleservices decided to merge with Airtel for the same reason.

As per market data, Tata Tele was incurring losses to the tune of Rs 30,000 crores, and this merger had become a necessity. Airtel’s acquisition of Telenor and merger with Tata Tele is at #2, and along with Vodafone-Idea merger, Jio was the catalyst here.

Ola-Foodpanda
In response to the launch of UberEats in India, Ola decided to acquire Foodpanda, which was India’s 3rd largest food ordering app after Zomato and Swiggy. This particular acquisition showcased that online food ordering and delivery is the next big thing in the startup world.

Axis Bank-Freecharge
In July, Freecharge was acquired by Axis Bank, another major shakeup in the industry.

Freecharge, the online recharge startup which started a new trend and later transformed into a wallet; found a buyer in the form of Axis Bank, which showcased how fintech is evolving and how traditional banks are now forced to enter the exciting world of mobile wallets and digital apps.

Freecharge, which was acquired by Snapdeal earlier, was expected to be sold off to Flipkart but due to some reasons, the deal couldn’t happen, and it was ultimately Axis Bank which was able to acquire Freecharge.

Flipkart-eBay
In August, cash deprived Flipkart made a masterstroke move, which changed so many things. On one hand, they raised $1.4 billion, and on the other hand, acquired the business of eBay India. Hence, they not only raised funds but also made a valuable acquisition, which cemented their position in the e-commerce industry.

eBay’s acquisition by Flipkart opened up a global front for them, thereby positioning themselves right alongside Amazon in India, and globally.

Did we miss any M&A? Do let us know by commenting right here!