Camels, souks and cross-border mergers and acquisitions—the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is experiencing record highs over the past five years in M&A activity, especially during the last quarter of 2014, which showed an increase of almost 20 percent from the previous year, according to Jeffrey Spiegel of Norton Rose Fulbright in a recent post.

Here is what Spiegel says to look for in 2015:

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  • The Big Three: These aren't rivals to the big four accounting firms, but instead stand for Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which are expected to lead the deals in the region. This is because of “their relative wealth and their expanding share of the deal pool,” Spiegel says.
  • Investment and Regulation: “Further indication that deal activity is booming in the Middle East is the rise in investment banking fees in the region,” says Spiegel, noting these fees reached $150 million last quarter, up 19 percent from the previous year. Other signals of growth include more sophisticated regulatory regimes, with the UAE introducing a new competition law, and such products as indemnity insurance.
  • Balanced Outlook: “Optimism for greater deal flow in the MENA region in 2015 persists, despite the looming uncertainty owing to declining oil prices and persistent geopolitical uncertainties,” says Spiegel. However, it's not clear whether “inbound flows will be equally popular,” considering political risks, new laws and the cultural differences of the players.