Prime Highlights-
- Dubai Aerospace Enterprise leads major regional dealmaking with its $7 billion acquisition of Macquarie AirFinance, marking one of the largest transactions in the report.
- Savvy Games Group strengthens its gaming portfolio through a $6 billion acquisition of Shanghai Moonton Technology, reflecting growing MENA investment in global tech assets.
Key Facts-
- MENA logs 390 M&A deals worth $46.7 billion in the first half of 2026, according to a new EY report.
- Q2 deal value hits $25 billion, more than double the $12.2 billion recorded in the same quarter last year.
Background-
Mergers and acquisitions across the Middle East and North Africa reach 390 deals worth $46.7 billion in the first half of 2026, a recent EY report shows. Deal activity picks up pace toward the close of the second quarter, with May and June alone making up 61 percent of Q2 deal volume and 79 percent of its total value.
Q2 deal value climbs to $25 billion, more than double the $12.2 billion recorded in the same quarter a year earlier, even though overall first-half numbers fall short of last year’s pace.
Domestic deals during the quarter add up to $16 billion, with real estate, energy, utilities and technology driving much of that activity. Outbound deals number 119 and total $25.5 billion, with UAE and Saudi investors leading the charge.
Technology, energy, real estate and financial services stay among the sectors drawing the most attention, while sovereign wealth funds and state-linked entities keep playing a major role in strategic dealmaking. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority all feature among the active names.
Standout deals from the report include Dubai Aerospace Enterprise picking up Macquarie AirFinance for $7 billion and Savvy Games Group buying Shanghai Moonton Technology for $6 billion. Tech-related investment keeps circling around artificial intelligence, digital transformation and software.
The report points to continued momentum going into the second half of the year, with sovereign investors and regional conglomerates likely to stay active across key sectors.
