UAE Business: 2022 set to be a bumper year for UK-to-Mena trade – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: 2022 set to be a bumper year for UK-to-Mena trade – Gulf Digital News

The year 2022 will be a record year for UK-to- Mena cross-border trade and merger & acquisition (M&A) activity, said Lumina Capital Advisers, a leading adviser on M&A, financing and restructuring transactions across the globe.



UK businesses have been expanding their operations across the Middle East as a result of Brexit-fuelled global geographic expansion, Lumina said in its 2022 cross-border insights report assessing the factors that are contributing to the growth in cross-border transaction activity between the UK and the Middle East.



The report highlights growth in UK-to- Mena cross-border trade and deal activity between 2018- 2020, fuelled by Brexit, revenue diversification opportunities and the spotlight on Mena non-oil sectors.



Since 2018, the Middle East's contribution to overall revenue has increased by 1% Y-o-Y. In 2020, the Mena region generated 14% of revenue for FTSE listed companies, compared to 13% in 2019 and 12% in 2018. Lumina Capital Advisors anticipates that this Y-o-Y growth will continue in 2022, with the percentage of Mena revenues generated by FTSE listed companies exceeding 15% by year end.



FTSE listed Mena companies in the Oil & Gas sector contributed 18% of the total revenue generated in 2020 compared