Private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) exits worth $1 billion were recorded in April 2017, up 270% from April 2016, data from consultancy firm EY showed. A total of 31 deals were recorded during the month, up 117% from last April. The number of exits in April was the highest in the past five years. Exits in 2017 now total $3 billion, which is 46% of the aggregate value recorded in 2016. Open market exits with $653 million across 15 deals emerged as the preferred mode, accounting for 65% of exits by value and 58% by volume. Meanwhile, PE/VC investments during the month crossed the $2 billion mark for the second consecutive month. However, there was a decline of 8% and 24% in value terms compared to April 2016 and March 2017, respectively. The number of deals increased by 29% over April 2016. There was, however, a significant increase in large deals (more than $50 million) across key sectors including telecom, consumer technology, financial services and logistics. Besides, the average transaction size rose 69% to $32 million from a year earlier, while deals below $10 million comprised 66% of total activity in the quarter. April was another strong month both for PE investments and exits. Buyouts have clearly been the standout highlight of the year and we see buyout activity only get stronger with time.

(DealStreet Asia)