Real estate · Industry brief

Global private equity investment reached over $1 trillion by mid-2026, with funds increasingly targeting large strategic assets in energy, AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare, though deal volume remains significantly lower than previous years. Poland has emerged as one of Central and Eastern Europe's most active markets, with significant consolidation in the financial sector including Erste Group's acquisition of Santander Bank Polska and VeloBank's purchase of Citi Handlowy's retail operations, alongside major infrastructure deals such as Deutsche Telekom's approximately €1 billion acquisition of Fiberhost and Inea from Macquarie Asset Management. The shift toward infrastructure and AI-related investments reflects long-term economic trends rather than short-term market conditions, with funds focusing on data centers, digital infrastructure, energy transition projects, and technology ecosystem companies, while Poland's maturing tech ecosystem is creating an expanding base of mid-sized companies attractive to private equity investors seeking selective, high-quality assets with demonstrated growth potential.

In the first half of 2026, MENA region M&A activity surged with 390 deals valued at US$46.7 billion according to EY data, with Q2 deal value rising 105% year-on-year to US$25 billion. Regulatory reforms are shaping the M&A landscape: the UAE's new Civil Transactions Law introduced significant reforms to negotiations and contract frameworks; Jordan has imposed personal liability on directors for failing to exercise duty of care in M&A transactions, requiring rigorous documentation of board decision-making; and Qatar removed foreign ownership caps, allowing 100% LLC ownership in most sectors. The region is seeing increased foreign investor participation, particularly in Abu Dhabi Global Market investment funds and family office activity. Key risk management considerations include careful structuring of asset deals (particularly in Iraq requiring approvals for asset disposals), distressed asset sale challenges, risk-based due diligence to identify post-completion issues, and alignment between warranty and indemnity policies and sale and purchase agreements in UAE and KSA private deals (Tamimi Law Update, 2026).