Last year, Poland saw the most mergers and acquisitions in Central and Eastern Europe. Our country is also a leader in terms of the value of these transactions.
In 2023, 284 mergers and acquisitions were carried out in Poland, according to the CMS Emerging Europe M&A 2023/24 report published in cooperation with EMIS. This is the best result in the region. Their value amounted to EUR 7.45 billion.
Poland was followed by Romania with 199 transactions worth EUR 5.54 billion, followed by the Czech Republic – 139 transactions worth EUR 3.73 billion and Hungary – 57 transactions worth EUR 3.77 billion. The report noted that the number of transactions in Hungary decreased by 11%, but their value almost doubled, making it the highest since 2018. This is mainly due to the acquisition of Vodafone Hungary by Corvinus and 4iG for EUR 1.64 billion.
The analysis showed that investor activity is growing in Ukraine, where 89 transactions worth EUR 950 million took place in 2023. Overall, investor confidence has revived, especially in the second half of 2023, thanks to stabilization of inflation trends.
CMS Poland Partner Sławomir Czerwiński said that renewable energy is a key sector with growing activity in Poland and the entire region. According to forecasts, interest in this industry will remain high in the coming years, due to EU requirements and relative investment security, as many investment funds are interested in acquiring operational assets, because they guarantee a minimum level of income.
Of note is the cross-border transactions, the value of which in the region rose to €30.8 billion in 2023, with 69 of these transactions down year-on-year. The largest investor in terms of the number of transactions was the United States with 96, while the United Arab Emirates carried out the highest value transactions (€3.16 billion). This was largely driven by transactions in the telecommunications sector, including the €2.5 billion acquisition of PPF Telecom Group’s assets in Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia by UAE-based e& (Etisalat).