MUMBAI: India has entered the $ 100 billion club in the merger and acquisition space. In a first, 1,200 deals worth around $ 110 billion or Rs 71,000 crore were concluded in India in a year as per Grant Thornton’s (GT) annual Dealtracker.M&A transactions were the growth front runners with deals aggregating to $90 bn and PE reporting deals aggregating to $20 billion, the GT report stated.This was an 80% jump in deal value over 2017. As per the GT report deals worth $ 60 billion were concluded in 2017, and $ 57 billion in 2016.The spurt could also be the result of the change in several regulations, the report stated.“The ongoing capital market and regulatory reforms, constant amendments to reforms like Goods and Services Tax (GST), Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), and efforts to improve ease of doing business in the country are signs of increasing depth and maturity, making the Indian markets more attractive. Furthermore, the surge in the M&A deal activities was mainly driven by the objectives of consolidating by expanding the market share, buying technology and diversifying market presence. Additionally, M&As have also proven to be effective in bridging the gaps in the market, resource and the growth outlook among business partners. Corporates improved their inorganic growth strategy through divestment of non-core assets, expanded into newer business segments, and hunted for bargain purchases following the introduction of IBC during 2018,” the report said.The growth in the deal space however could come down in the current year, the report cautioned. The outlook for 2019 may be tepid for the first two quarters, but it should eventually pick up and end on a positive note, given the strong fundamentals and deal pipelines. However, a lot will depend on the continuing reforms, new policies and pace of reforms post general elections, the report said.