Deal Drivers South Korea: M&A Trends in H1 2020 and beyond

Virtual closed-door rountable in partnership with Mergermarket, an Acuris company

DATE: 17 September 2020

TIME: 11:00 Seoul

South Korea in 1H20 recorded 164 M&A deals worth USD 14.8bn, the lowest first-half of the year value since 2013. However, deal value during 2Q20 increased by 86.7% compared to the first quarter, signaling a recovery from pandemic.

Dealmakers strived to pull the M&A back to the negotiation table, though difficulties still exist as the prolonged outbreaks in other parts of the world dampened demand and continue to disrupt supply chains.

The silver lining for South Korea M&A lies in the quickly rebounded equity market which renews record- high as private equity sponsors’ appetite also remains strong by taking six of top 10 deals for the period. Cash-rich conglomerates are still on lookout for M&A in an acceleration of digitalization and diversification of business.

• Hyundai Motor managed to close USD 1.42bn outbound deal for Germany -based financial service provider through its capital unit alongside multiple small investments in automotive sector
• During the period, Pharma, Medical & Biotech sector has grown, recording USD 2.5bn across 14 deals, a 3.7 time increase in value from USD 661m of 13 deals in 1H19

In this closed-door roundtable with distinguised guest speakers, we will take stock of M&A activity in South Korea and consider the opportunities for the rest of the year. If you’d like to the post-webinar report, then please email us here.