UAE Business: Mena private capital deals number 214 worth $19bn in H1 – Gulf Digital News

  • Date: 07-Sep-2022
  • Source: Gulf Digital News
  • Sector:Financial Markets
  • Country:UAE
  • Who else needs to know?

UAE Business: Mena private capital deals number 214 worth $19bn in H1 – Gulf Digital News

Private capital deals in the Middle East and North Africa have increased from 48 in H2 2018 to 214 in H1 2022, driven by tech-enabled and digital platforms – with investment rising from $5.2 billion to $19 billion, said a report.

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) assets in the region are growing – driven by the energy crisis – which are being deployed in tech companies and start-ups in Mena and other global private capital markets, said the 2022 Mena Data Insight report from the Global Private Capital Association (GPCA).

Since 2020, healthcare and pharmaceuticals have comprised 31% of overall private capital deal volume.

Venture capital

Meanwhile, Egypt has the most venture capital (VC) deals (26%) of any Mena country. About 44% of capital raised in Mena since 2021 is from Egypt-focused funds -- the three largest funds have raised $468 million.

PE investors have completed more deals in healthcare than any other industry since 2020, led by acquisitions for pharmaceuticals platform Kelix Bio Investment activity in the healthcare sector has been driven by deals for regional and global platforms launched from Dubai, home to the world’s first medical free zone.

Examples include clinic operator Humania backed by IFC AMC, IFC, IFU, EBRD and Proparco; Kelix Bio,