[2008-05-30]  Saudi Arabia to host global M&A meet in November
Global M&A, an international alliance of mergers and acquisitions houses, held its fifth annual conference in Miami recently. Jeddah's Financial Transaction House (FTH), a member of Global M&A, also attended.

The meeting provided the partners of Global M&A (Global Mergers & Acquisitions) the opportunity to listen to leading speakers regarding the current state of the global economy and discuss global investment opportunities, including the opportunities and challenges strategic and financial buyers face financing acquisitions.

Despite the current US and European economic and financial woes, the investment return data that has emerged confirms that cross-border middle market returns provide a compelling reason to invest in those markets.

Faisal Alsayrafi, CEO of FTH, the leading Jeddah-based investment banking and corporate finance advisory firm, was honored and selected during the Miami Conference to host the next Global M&A Conference; an event slated to take place in Dubai on Nov. 3-5.

"The event in Dubai enables us and our 40 partners at Global M&A to identify trends and middle market firms in numerous industries to identify compelling investment opportunities," said Alsayrafi. "These opportunities are present despite the credit and bond market woes and declining fundamentals that have tarnished industrialized countries. Our partners agree that to succeed in the global economy and complete transactions creativity and cash are increasingly indispensable."

"The conference also provides Global M&A = a forum to identify in-bound and out-bound investment opportunities, trends and value-added opportunities in multiple sectors, ranging from energy, especially clean energy, chemicals, consumer products, financial and insurance services, leisure and retail, healthcare and pharma, food and beverage, heavy machinery and electrical products, technology/IT and marketing and media to name just a few," he added.

According to FTH Vice President Roberto Castro: "In this multi-day investment banking conference FTH brought three of its investment bankers and an economist. Our professionals attended and actively participated in the various sectors mentioned by Alsayrafi. Our professionals participation is most critical since it enables us to discuss and identify investment and consumption shifts, developments within industries and sub-sectors, and threats and opportunities to investors."

Castro added: "The constant information flow keeps us current on deal terms and that enables us to mitigate and manage our client's investment risk exposure and that enables our clients to understand market and valuation dynamics."

Global M&A sector leaders and partners confer ? through video or telephone ? on a bi-weekly basis to discuss middle market transactions, discuss new client-directed buy and sell mandates, the factors that drive transaction valuations and industry developments.

The 5th Annual Global M&A Conference featured Ron Insana, founder and manager of Insana Capital Partners, an SEC-registered US-based investment adviser, and former CNBC and Financial News Network senior anchor, who discussed and analyzed the impact that the current US banking and financial crisis is having on M&A, valuations, and deal structuring.

David Hale, global economist and advisor to major hedge funds and multinational corporations echoed some of the same earlier themes raised by Insana. Hale characterized the present economic environment as not only challenging and fraught with danger and unparalleled opportunity at the same time stating it presents "the greatest dislocation and also the greatest opportunity in my entire career."

The conference also featured presentations by: the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) which discussed IPO opportunities provided by AIM; leading Latin American multinational and PE firms that discussed their successful growth strategies, bargain hunting in the global middle market by PE funds, including platinum equity; Sun Capital Partners, Inc.; important financing sources, such as GE Commercial Finance Europe and law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

The conference also featured sessions on clean energy and investment opportunities in this sector. The falling dollar and rising oil prices have adversely impacted US consumption; declining consumption has been offset by increased demand for oil by China and India.

Faisal Alsayrafi noted: "The increasing prices have spurred innovation, which is advances in new technology. The new technology promises to deliver electricity and heat at lower costs and ease price increases and address supply/demand dynamics. These developments are likely to lead to sustained growth and stability. Significantly, the clean energy technology is critical to curb and reduce the green house gases and pollution ? these two factors are local and global issues that are taking a gradual toll on people and the healthcare system."

Commenting on the Dubai Global M&A Conference, Sudhir Singh, an FTH investment banker, said: "the Conference will also provide us a forum to showcase to our partners, foreign private equity funds, and multinationals the strengths, opportunities and challenges the GCC faces. It also provides GCC middle market firms, funds and family businesses and opportunity to network, and better understand the benefits and challenges of joint venturing and selling business interests to foreign financial and strategic buyers that are global players."



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