M&A business on the rise, says Barclays

BARCLAYS reports that its M&A activity in the Midlands has soared during the first quarter of 2012.

Ian Tetsill, head of Barclays Debt Finance in the Midlands, said: “We have certainly seen an uptick in merger and acquisition activity during the first quarter of this year and are delighted to have played an important role in the execution of some high profile deals for our clients.

“Whilst investment activity for corporates on the whole remains somewhat patchy, we are seeing good momentum and are confident that we will be able to support more strategic events during the remainder of 2012.

“We are seeing activity across a broad range of sectors and cross-border M&A has continued to trend up in 2011, now accounting for almost half of global M&A.”

The news coincides with a strong start to the year for Barclays’ Midlands corporate banking team which has completed a series of transactions over recent months.

Deals it has supported include the acquisition of Tyrrells Group, a strategic merger for the Epwin Group and Equistone Partners Europe Limited’s investment in Audley Travel.