M&A activity within Singapore and region expected to remain robust
It is likely to be lifted by pent-up demand from last year, substantial cash pile of PE firms and shift towards tech and high-growth industries
Claudia Tan HS
Singapore
DESPITE ongoing Covid-19 pandemic headwinds, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity within Singapore and the region is expected to remain robust, boosted by pent-up demand from last year, supportive financing markets and overall strong market sentiment, particularly towards tech and high-growth industries.
As at end-May, US$2.4 trillion worth of M&A deals were announced globally - the highest level recorded over the first five months of the year, data from Refinitiv showed. In Asia-Pacific, M&A announcements increased 78 per cent to an all-time high of US$433.7 billion as at end-May compared with the same period last year.
Deals involving a Singapore target totalled US$43.9 billion year-to-date across 160 deals, exceeding 2020's US$38.9 billion in deal value across 311 deals, data from Dealogic showed.
"The pandemic had earlier delayed deals and now the activity in the M&A space reflects the pent-up energy by companies and a focus on the region due to prospects of future economic growth," said Stephen Bates, partner, head of transaction services, deal advisory, KPMG Singapore.
M&A experts noted that while overall deal count is trending in line with prior years, this year's deal value will hit record levels given the number of jumbo transactions.
The region has seen a surge in large-scale deals this year. This includes the merger between Grab and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Altimeter Growth, which is valued at close to US$40 billion and set to be the largest-ever deal of its kind.
Companies with strong balance sheets will also look to take advantage of the low interest rate environment and liquidity in the market, said Ling Tok Hong, PwC Singapore's M&A leader.
Private equity funds with under-deployed capital, on the other hand, will be keeping an eye out for distressed M&As.
In Asia-Pacific, there is substantial dry powder of over US$500 billion that private equity firms are sitting on, alongside an additional US$100 billion raised by SPACs since the start of 2021, according to Mr Bates.
"These sources of funds are looking at long-term investment opportunities in the region, focused on industrials and chemicals, financial services, technology, media and telecom (TMT) as well as green investments," he said.
Some of the largest transactions this year are centred around technology-related sectors - a shift away from traditional real estate and industrial deals in prior years.
Tech was the leading M&A sector for nine consecutive months, between August 2020 and April 2021, with media taking the spot as most targeted sector in May 2021, according to Refinitiv.
Notable high-value deals in the region this year came from the TMT sector.
Aside from the Altimeter and Grab deal, Gojek and Tokopedia announced an US$18 billion merger. Meanwhile, Thai Energy firm Gulf Energy Development has proposed a US$5.4 billion acquisition of the remaining 81.1 per cent of Intouch Holdings, a Singtel associate company that controls the nation's largest mobile phone operator.
"The recent large-scale M&A deals have targeted tech companies with digital ecosystems or platforms equipped with customer enablement features and products," said Mr Bates.
Deloitte South-east Asia regional managing partner, financial advisory Keoy Soo Earn said that size of operations does matter, especially for corporations with platforms seeking to tap digital solutions to build robust ecosystems.
The growing focus on new technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things amid the pandemic have spurred demand for data centres.
Singapore-listed companies Mapletree Industrial Trust (ME8U) and Ascendas real estate investment trust (Reit) ( A17U ) have jumped on opportunities to expand their presence in the data centre space this year.
MIT had proposed a purchase of 29 data centres in the United States for US$1.32 billion while Ascendas Reit is looking at a S$904.6 million acquisition of 11 data centres.
Terence Chua, senior research analyst at Phillip Securities Research, said that M&A activity among Singapore-listed companies is expected to remain robust for the rest of 2021 as they turn to bolt-on acquisitions for growth.
Meanwhile, there could be more stressed and distressed assets available as government support weans off, resulting in more companies either seeking shelter or making opportunistic moves.
"For those companies that are badly affected by the pandemic, they probably will have to figure out some way to merge with a company to beef their balance sheets up and also to refresh their business models," said Mr Ling, adding that this will be a key driver for M&A activities in the months ahead.
Even if companies are not stressed financially, many might find that they have to tweak their business models in a post-pandemic world.
"There are corporations looking to reconstruct their existing business models to stay relevant in the new normal. This is driving companies to acquire businesses that will facilitate their transformation," said Deloitte's Mr Keoy.
Phillip's Mr Chua said that there could be M&A activity within the aviation sector as the pandemic continues to weigh on the industry.
"We believe there is a case for a merger between SIA Engineering (S59) and ST Engineering ( S63 ) today as the Covid-19 pandemic adds pressure to its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services," said Mr Chua. The case for the consolidation of the two MRO players to a single global player has been strengthened by the protracted pandemic, according to him.
Similarly, ongoing consolidation in the shipbuilding sector will help to accelerate an industry recovery, phase out excess capacity, alleviate competition, and boost pricing power eventually, noted DBS analysts in a report.
"We hold on to our belief that Keppel O&M should be injected and merged with Sembcorp Marine, making Keppel Corp a pure sustainable urbanisation play that focuses on property, connectivity and infrastructure," they said.
Analysts are also expecting further consolidation among Reits.
DBS analysts said that AIMS Apac Reit (O5RU) is an attractive candidate for an M&A deal and the Reit's largest shareholder ESR Cayman could be a potential suitor. ESR Cayman may consider merging the Reit with its other listed vehicle ESR Reit ( J91U ) following its failed merger bid with Sabana Reit.
Within the consumer space, chocolate confectionery company Delfi's ( P34 ) strong brand and network may put it on the radar of potential acquirers who are keen to dominate the chocolate space in Indonesia, according to DBS analysts.
In addition, consumer companies such as Japfa (UD2), Koufu (VL6) and Jumbo ( 42R ) could be on the look out for more acquisitions to expand their brand portfolio.
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