European telcos seek new financing as debt pricing rises and M&A activity continues

LONDON - Feb. 2, 2016 - PRLog -- LONDON, February 2, 2016: Telecom operators in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, are expected to seek new financing in early 2016 as debt pricing starts to rise, and merger and acquisition activity continues, say investment bankers.

“In the TMT (Telecom, Media and Technology) sector, several areas are hot in terms of M&A activity,” commented one London-based banker. “Telecom operators are looking at refinancing options in 2016 in order to lock in cheap debt before any significant increases. Debt pricing is already starting to creep up, which is a trend that will continue over the near and medium term.”

Telecom and finance executives from across the continent will meet to discuss acquisition strategies and capital raising opportunities at the TMT M&A Forum 2016 (http://www.tmtfinance.com/merger/) in London on April 14, 2016.

The annual event, which is in its fifth year, gathers CEOs, Strategy Leaders and Heads of M&A from Telecom, Media and Tech companies, Investment Banks, Private Equity Investors and Strategy and Legal Advisers.

Debt capital markets and vendor supported financing are tipped to be among the core drivers for telecoms financing deals in EMEA this year, as operators look for new ways to raise capital.

“Global economic and political instability are causing some uncertainty in the debt and equity markets, and some banks are becoming warier of over-leveraged companies, or those which are particularly exposed to some of the more volatile emerging markets,” a senior banker said.  “However, sentiment remains positive and deal activity is strong across TMT.”

TMT M&A Forum 2016 features 70 speakers and a maximum of 350 delegates, with key sessions including TMT Leadership, Media and Convergence, Enterprise Cloud, Mobile Infrastructure, M2M, Datacentres and Financing TMT M&A.

Participating companies include Liberty Global, Telefonica, VimpelCom, Microsoft, SixDegrees Group, Gamma, Goldman Sachs, Providence, JPMorgan, BNP Paribas, Societe Generale, Arcus Infrastructure, Jefferies International, Accenture, Linklaters, Investment42, and Drooms.

TMT Finance is the leading news and events provider for telecom, media and tech executives active in mergers and acquisitions, financing strategy and investment globally.

For more information, go to www.tmtfinance.com/merger