It has become widely recognized in recent years that Indian products and services can effectively compete and win on cost and quality bases in Western Markets. Top Indian business leaders see the strategic value of acquiring businesses in established marketplaces such as the U.S. so as to gain immediate traction into these markets. Reasons behind the growth in Indian companies acquiring Western business are highlighted by:

• Immediate access to Western market places
• The need to provide localized customer support
• Ability to leverage new technology often more readily available to companies in the West
• Ability to leverage the partnerships and vendor relationships developed by western firms

Interest in deals between U.S. and Indian companies is rising rapidly with Indian middle market companies. Cross border M&A between India and the western world has grown substan­tially in the last three years. Over 450 Indian M&A deals were announced in 2006; nearly 40% of these deals were outbound. To be competitive in the accelerating globalization environment of today, successful Indian business leaders must be seriously examining opportunities for growth through international merger and acquisition.