GCC private equity and M&As The United Arab Emirates have taken the top spot in terms of private equity (PE) deals in the Middle East during the first half of 2009, according to Bureau van Dijk Electronic Publishing (BvDEP), a research firm. The UAE led the pack with a total of seven PE deals. Jordan and Kuwait registered only two deals each in the same period. The report found that in the first half of 2009 the region’s deal flow decreased 79 percent in terms of value, to $314 million, and decreased 41 percent in volume, to 13 deals, compared to the second half of 2008. The report also highlighted the continued fall in the number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in line with the global trend. M&A activity declined 70 percent to $6.24 billion from a total of $21.03 billion in the second half of 2008. The volume of
