Liquidity and Positivity Boosting NI Deals Market

There was a great deal of positivity at this year’s Winners’ Roundtable for the Northern Ireland Dealmakers Awards, which was sponsored by Clarendon Executive. There is strong capital availability in the market from banks, private equity firms and from the alternative funders – which is powering M&A transactions involving businesses across the region.

A strong pipeline of deals was reported by all the assembled corporate finance professionals, all of whom represented firms or banks that had won awards at the NI Dealmakers Awards in March 2018. The positive outlook was only tempered by the political landscape in Northern Ireland – the ongoing Brexit negotiations and the focus on the border between North and South, as well as the current stalemate between the political parties which has led to a suspension of the power-sharing executive. But despite this, there is real intent to get deals done. In fact, there is a feeling that deals must get done earlier rather than later.

Skills remain an issue – both for the professional firms themselves and for the business community in the region. The focus, according to the group, should be to encouraging people back to the region and also to get issues such as Corporation Tax and the political instability resolved quickly so that people can recognise the enormous opportunities that working in Northern Irelands can offer from both a working and a lifestyle perspective.