Metals and mining industry cross border merger and acquisition (M&A) deals worth $7.7-billion were announced in the fourth quarter of 2020. Nova Resources led the pack with its almost $2.4-billion acquisition of Kaz Minerals, GlobalData’s deals database shows.
In a statement on March 10, the information services company said the value of deals marked an increase of 593.7% over the previous quarter and a rise of 71.5% when compared with the last four-quarter average, which stood at almost $4.5-billion.
Comparing cross border M&A deals value in different regions of the globe, Europe held the top position, with total announced deals worth $3.6-billion.
At the country level, the UK topped the list in terms of deal value at more than $2.4-billion.
In terms of volumes, North America emerged as the top region for metals and mining industry cross border M&A deals globally, followed by Asia-Pacific and then Europe.
The top country in terms of cross border M&A deals activity in the fourth quarter of 2020 was the US with 17 deals, followed by Australia with 17 and Canada with 12.
In 2020, at the end of the fourth quarter, cross border M&A deals worth $20-billion were announced globally in the metals and mining industry, marking a decrease of 28.8% year-on-year.
The top five cross border M&A deals in the metals and mining industry accounted for 79.3% of the overall value during the fourth quarter of 2020, and included the combined value of the top deals, which stood at $6.1-billion, against the overall value of $7.7-billion recorded for the quarter.
The top five metals and mining industry cross border deals of the fourth quarter, tracked by GlobalData, were Nova Resources’ acquisition of Kaz Minerals; the $1.8-billion acquisition of Teranga Gold by Endeavour Mining; Sandvik’s $1.1-billion acquisition of DSI Underground; the $490-million asset transaction with Shanghai Decent Investment Group by Nickel Mines; and Orion Mine Finance’s acquisition of Greenstone Gold Mines for $225-million.