After weak 2023, Grant Thornton Bharat says deal street will be busy in 2024

In the latest episode of Big Deal, industry experts delve into the prevailing themes shaping investor sentiment this year. Grant Thornton Bharat's comprehensive report meticulously outlines the deals and trends witnessed in the past year.

Summing up the insights, Prashant Mehra of Grant Thornton Bharat highlighted that while 2023 may have appeared as an aberration, it was, in fact, a return to normalcy after the exceptional circumstances of 2022.

He pointed out that India is in a very unique place -- all macroeconomic factors are positive, inflation is under control, gross domestic product (GDP) growth is at 6.57%, market sentiment is right and IPO activity is booming. "...we are seeing a lot of activity traction, but all that culminating into closure of deals should happen soon after the Budget,” Mehra stated.

Gaurav Ahuja from ChrysCapital echoed this optimism, highlighting India as a shining spot in a globally challenging environment. He emphasised their focus on key sectors like IT services, financials, pharma, and consumer goods, foreseeing abundant opportunities.

Ahuja sees growth potential in untapped sectors like healthcare services, new economy, and SaaS and is expanding coverage. “We will continue to look at both minority as well as control transactions in each of these sectors, depending on where the risk-reward seems more attractive to us. But just given how under-penetrated India is or these sectors are in India, there is still a long way for each of these sectors to continue growing,” he added.