The European financial services industry announced a 3% year-on-year fall in M&A deals in 2023, with 641 deals across the region, compared to 661 deals in 2022, according to the latest EY financial services M&A analysis. The total disclosed deal value also fell; from €50.0bn in 2022 to €34.7bn in 2023, representing the lowest annual value recorded since 2013. Iulia Bratu, Partner, Head of Lead Advisory, EY Romania: “M&A activity in the Romanian Financial Services sector saw a strong year in 2023, recording 14 transactions, with disclosed-value deals accounting for 10.2% of the total market, at USD 490m. This represented a doubling of the transaction number and 210% increase in deal values and was a particularly positive performance from an historical perspective, supported by landmark transactions in the banking segment such as the sales of Alpha Bank and First Bank’s Romanian operations (USD 319m and USD 138m, respectively). Financial Services M&A within the local market is likely to continue its positive dynamics in 2024, with another milestone transaction such as Banca Transilvania’s acquisition of Hungarian lender OTP’s Romanian operations expected to be announced in the first part of the year.” Sector-specific M&A activity across Europe’s financial markets • The number of European insurance deals rose from 223 in 2022 to 240 in 2023, but the total publicly disclosed deal value halved year-on-year, falling from €18.8bn in 2022 to €9.4bn in 2023. • The number of deals in the European wealth and asset management industry in 2023 was on par with the 206 in 2022. However, again, the total publicly disclosed deal value decreased year-on-year; from €6.6bn in 2022 to €4.9bn in 2023. • In the European banking sector, there were 195 deals in 2023, down from 232 in 2022, with the total publicly disclosed deal value also decreasing year-on-year from €24.6bn to €20.4bn. The number of non-European firms acquiring European targets was down from 96 in 2022 to 81 in 2023, and the total disclosed deal value fell from €18.5bn in 2022 to €17.1bn year-on-year. European firms acquiring targets from other markets fell from 62 in 2022 to 47 in 2023, with total disclosed deal value decreasing from €7.0bn to €2.9bn year-on-year.
The restructuring plan laid out by Liberty Galați was validated by the Galați Court on Friday, August 1, after having been approved by 52% of the ailing plant’s creditors last month. The plan, approved by creditors and confirmed by the Galați Court, sets out firm measures to restructure both the company’s operational activity and the […]
Animest, Romania’s leading animation film festival, returns to Bucharest this autumn with a special 20th anniversary edition. Running from October 3 to 12, the festival invites audiences to explore the theme of "the journey” - a metaphor for both its two-decade history and the personal, emotional paths traced through animated storytelling, the organizers said. Last […]
An article delving into the benefits of hydrotherapy, published by the famous US newspaper The New York Times, features a recommendation for six wellness centers, including Romania’s Therme center. According to the article, “studies show that immersion in water, hot or cold, can calm the nervous system, reduce joint pain and inflammation, stimulate circulation, lower […]
Plastic surgeon Tiberiu Paul Neagu, head of the Burns Center at Floreasca Hospital, one of the major hospitals in Bucharest, was dismissed on Monday, August 4, after a patient was transferred to Belgium following multiple multi-resistant hospital-acquired infections. The scandal broke out when a patient with burns over 70% of her body, who had been […]
The Buzău Land/Ținutul Buzăului UNESCO Global Geopark has received high praise from evaluators following a three-day official visit aimed at assessing its progress and determining whether the site will retain its UNESCO geopark status. The visit, conducted in June by Goran Radonic (Croatia) and Iván Cortijo Sánchez (Spain), concluded with positive feedback for the geopark […]
One United Properties (BVB: ONE), a publicly listed developer that has so far been focused on Bucharest, announced the signing of a promissory sale and purchase agreement for land located in a prime central area of Sibiu. The site, located on the former FLARO industrial platform, offers significant potential for urban regeneration, according to company […]
