After the rollercoaster ride of 2016 that threw up bumps such as Brexit, Donald Trump’s victory in the US elections and Narendra Modi government’s demonetization drive, the year 2017 began with a big bang with two of the largest telecom companies in India joining hands for one of the largest and most strategic M&A deals in the recent years. Vodafone Group’s merger of Vodafone India with Idea Cellular kicked off the M&A activity in the first quarter that saw inbound deals going up 49% in comparison with the same period last year. The trend, indeed, boosts investor confidence in India as an M&A destination. The prominent sectors, this year so far, have been telecommunications, electronic components, pharmaceuticals, auto-parts and equipment.

Unlike last year where M&A exits superseded Open Market exits, the beginning of 2017 saw an opposite trend.

Moving beyond the headlines, the overarching drift of M&A activity in the recent past has been more about 'mergers' than 'acquisitions'. Year 2016 saw several Indian companies consolidating to add resources, build scale, stabilize and reduce the number of players fighting for the same share of pie as against overseas acquisitions, which haven’t seen much success. With the abolishment of FIPB, Indian government has signaled it will welcome foreign investors with open arms facilitating opportunities for growth and consolidation. In the coming months, as the government rolls out GST and there is more clarity on FDI regulation, not to forget our resilient economy and buoyant capital markets, the rest of 2017 seems promising for investors.

In the wake of this positivity, News Corp VCCircle is presenting its second edition of Mergers & Acquisitions Summit in June 2017, bringing together Corporates, Strategic Acquirers, Private Equity funds, Buyout & Stressed Assets Experts, Legal, tax & Due-Diligence experts under one roof to decode the M&A outlook for 2017 and delve on what it holds in store for businesses, investors and industry in general.

Key topics for discussion:
• Consolidation at the Top Tier: What it means for Old & New Economy Businesses across sectors.
• A patchy record of overseas acquisitions: Is string of pearls M&A strategy a better move?
• Valuations menace: Many large MNCs are selling off their businesses in India and not pursuing any aggressive inorganic expansion. Is valuation to blame for the trend?
• Strategic M&A vs PE buyouts: What would you pick?