MENA M&A: the headline says slowdown, but the underlying momentum tells a different story
The headline says slowdown, but the underlying momentum tells a different story. EY reported 390 M&A deals worth $46.7bn in H1 2026.
EY reported 390 M&A deals worth $46.7bn in H1 2026. More importantly, outbound M&A where MENA investors acquiring businesses outside their home markets reached $25.5bn, with the UAE and KSA continuing to lead regional investment activity.
Technology remains high on the agenda, particularly AI, digital transformation and tech-enabled services.
At Significa Capital, we’re seeing the same trend firsthand where GCC investors are increasingly using M&A to acquire technology, capabilities and new growth engines.
This proves that the capital is there. The real question is, which assets are strategically compelling enough to attract it?
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Twenty-two years across telecom engineering, enterprise B2B, corporate innovation and venture capital. Sixteen years at Vodafone Egypt, from radio network engineering and R&D and innovation program management, where he led the university and startup partnership program, to Head of Digital Business Solutions at Vodafone Business, running a P&L above EGP 2 billion across cloud, IoT, cybersecurity, big data and AI and launching the V-Hub digital marketplace for SMEs. Co-founded Significa in 2021 and leads its corporate venture and innovation practice. Venture Finance, Oxford Saïd Business School; MBA, Edinburgh Business School; BSc Telecommunications Engineering, Cairo University.