2021 was an exceptional year for M&A. Booming markets, abundant availability of capital, and the need to adjust companies and portfolios to the post-pandemic world drove global deal-making volumes to $5.8tn for the first time since records began.
Alantra’s Investment Banking division continued to deliver customized solutions to the accelerate business transformation of its clients, consolidate its market position, or even stabilize its balance sheet. This led to a record figure of 186 deals advised (+41% YoY), including 137 M&A transactions worth €17.5bn, in a range of high-growth sectors such as Technology (50), Industrials (46), and Healthcare (17).
As the banking and credit markets regained resilience, Alantra’s Credit Portfolio Advisory team emerged as one of the major players in European distressed credit securitisation last year. The team advised on very significant transactions such as the second-largest rated NPE securitisation in Europe, the merger of a non-bank financial institution and a FinTech bank; the first securitisation of movable registered assets in Italy; the first rated NPL securitisation in Cyprus and the first Greek synthetic SRT securitisation, amongst others.
In Asset Management, the global alternatives market not only weathered the storm through unprecedented change but was able to show its ability to adapt and prosper in a fast-changing environment. Alantra and its Strategic Partners raised its fee-earning assets under management to €15.2bn, launched new products, and continued to deliver superior results.
Our performance in 2021 reaffirmed our belief that independent, diverse and highly-specialized services are crucial deliver the right solutions across economic cycles. After adding 30 senior professionals across our business divisions last year, we will continue to invest in the best talent to deliver results for our clients and investors.