New Zealand remains an appealing investment destination, a top firm in the country asserts.
Bell Gully, which noted increased deal activity in 2016 based on data from a new Thomson Reuters report, was commenting as the firm led other NZ firms in key M&A rankings.
Both Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters in their global M&A reports for the whole fiscal 2016 year ranked Bell Gully ahead of other NZ firms based on deal activity with any Australian or New Zealand involvement.
“New Zealand’s continued growth and stability compared to the rest of the world ensures we remain an attractive investment destination,” said
Chris Gordon, the firm’s chairman.
Thomson Reuters data revealed Australasia deal activity was up 1.2% to US$129.2 billion, or about $179.58 billion, last year.
This is despite deal volume worldwide slipping a significant 16% to US$3.7 trillion, or about $5.14 trillion.
Nonetheless, fiscal 2016 has been the third-largest year since Thomson Reuters started records in 1980.
Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters both found lower deal value in the Asia Pacific region last year, though deal count reached record highs in the period. Most notable from Thomson Reuters data is a significant increase in outbound investment from China, which doubled last year compared to 2015.
Bell Gully was 10th in Australasia on the Bloomberg M&A league table based on the number of deals announced and 13th based on its role in deals with a combined value of US$4.9 billion (about $6.8 billion).
The firm ranked 15th in Australasia on the Thomson Reuters M&A league tables based on announced deals of US$4.9 billion, or about $6.8 billion, and 14th by involvement in completed deals totaling over US$5.2 billion, or about $7.23 billion.
Bell Gully was also awarded 10 top tier practice area rankings, the most individual lawyers in “Band 1” or higher, and the most ranked lawyers overall by Chambers Asia Pacific’s 2017 guide.
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