2025 In Regulatory M&A In The MENA Region And Beyond

Looking back at 2025, there have been impactful developments in regulatory M&A provisions across national regimes in the Middle East and Noth Africa as well as regional merger control regimes on across the African continent. The UAE started enforcing their revised merger control regime, Saudi Arabia further amended merger control notification thresholds and took further steps to implement FDI screening, the East African Community implemented a regional merger control review process, and COMESA shifted from a voluntary to a mandatory and suspensory merger control regime. Now, at the end of the year it is worthwhile looking back at what changes have been introduced, and how these impact investors and businesses considering transactions that touch on these regimes.