PE investments in India at all-time high in 2015

India received its best ever private equity investment of $19.5 billion in 2015, Press Trust of India reported, citing a PwC MoneyTree India report. 

"India's macros are looking good, with the current account and fiscal deficit at acceptable levels, a relatively stable rupee, inflation at below six percent and, most importantly, a declining interest rate regime. This should encourage private investment as demand picks up," Sanjeev Krishan, PwC India leader, private equity, told PTI. 

Though the last quarter of 2015 contributed $3.9 billion, a drop by 12 percent over the corresponding quarter in 2014, the robust performance of the entire year helped it achieve the best ever yearly PE investment. A total of 159 deals amounted to the investment of $19.5, said the report. 

With 93 deals valued at $1.3 billion, information technology and IT-enabled services (IT&ITeS) garnered the lion share of investments, followed by 10 deals, valued at $910 million, from the banking, financial services and insurance sector (BFSI), the report added. 

Sandeep Ladda, PwC India Leader - Technology, explained to PTI that in 2015, sectors such as banking , insurance and telecom saw the stabilisation of their businesses and opened up their technology spend over the year. "It is this which helped growth of the Indian IT and ITeS industry," he said. 

Surprisingly, the media and entertainment sector attracted $414 million and was the third sector to have grossed the most of PE investments. 

On a regional classification, Mumbai topped with $1.9 billion in investment and Bengaluru, with lesser than half that amount, $733 million, stood at a distant second.