In the second half of 2021, the number of asset transactions increased significantly by 75% from the same period in 2020. This marks a deceleration in growth from the 111.1% increase in deals that occurred in H1 2021 relative to the same period a year earlier.

During this time, the region that saw the biggest increase in the number of deals was the Asia-Pacific region, seeing a 650% increase. From the second half of 2020 to the second half of 2021, the largest regional increase in deals was seen in Europe, with a 133.3% increase in deals.

During the second half of 2021, asset transactions accounted for 7% of all deals taking place in the sector. This represents a decrease from the figure of 10.7% in second half of 2020.

GlobalData's deals database is a comprehensive repository that looks at mergers, acquisitions, venture financing, equity offerings, asset transactions, partnerships, and debt offerings taking place daily between thousands of companies across the world. The database details key deal information, such as deal summary, deal rationale, deal financials, parties involved, advisors, and deal payment modes.

By tracking the proportion of various types of deals in each sector we can gauge which sectors are seeing growth and where others are struggling. The highest value asset transaction announced in 2021, where the deal value was known, is the planned investment by RWE in the Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK. The deal is set to be worth $4.13bn.

GlobalData has compiled a list of top MNCs based on revenue. Any top companies that did not have a subsidiary were removed from the list. The latest company annual reports (2019 and 2020, where available) and websites were analysed for a total of 2,188 companies.

For a subsidiary to be included, the parent company had to have a majority ownership/control in the subsidiary. Affiliates, associates, joint operations and joint ventures were included as long as the ownership criteria was met. Subsidiary information was captured at a country level. Country names were standardised. In total, 216,898 subsidiaries were captured.