Listed companies across Europe, the Middle East and Africa have built up cash reserves of €963 billion, according to a new report by Deloitte.

The 1,200 listed companies in the region have added a further €47 billion to this surplus in the last 12 months alone, while the total has increased by around €250 billion since 2007. More than 75 per cent of this sum is held by just 17 per cent of companies, mirroring the global trend where around a third of companies hold 80 per cent of the $3.53 trillion in cash reserves.

In addition to analysing publicly available data for listed companies, Deloitte also surveyed 271 C-level executives at listed (73 respondents) and non-listed companies (198 respondents) in 14 countries. The analysis of listed companies’ cash positions is supported by this survey, with 77 per cent of respondents reporting a cash surplus in 2014, with 20 per cent holding more than €250 million.

One in five companies’ investments will be directed at maintaining assets

This suggests that both listed and non-listed companies across EMEA have been behaving in a similar fashion, preserving their cash instead of investing. This is a radical change since the financial crisis and a behaviour which looks set to stay. It comes at a time when business competitiveness in Europe appears to be under threat. Since 2010, a net balance of 41 European companies has exited the Global Fortune 500, the sharpest fall on record.

Chris Gentle, head of research, EMEA, said: “Our research found that the leaders of many companies expect double digit revenue growth in the years to come, yet continue to focus much of their efforts on the eurozone, a region identified by most as having relatively low growth prospects. With growth in EMEA subdued, we believe companies will need to invest significantly, both organically and inorganically, to achieve their ambitions.”

Iain Macmillan, head of M&A at Deloitte UK, added: “Although we have seen an upturn in the level of merger and acquisition activity globally, in Europe M&A activity continues to lag behind. If European companies want to achieve double digit growth, then they need to consider M&A activities as part of their growth strategy. Our study on cash shows companies that are taking a more bullish stance on growth and spending their cash on M&A and capital expenditure are reaping the benefits through enhanced share price performance.”

Deloitte said that 59 per cent of respondents intended to invest some of their reserves this year, while 31 per cent say their focus will be on continuing to strengthen the balance sheet. Of those companies intending to invest, 54 per cent say that growth will be the primary focus of their investment strategy in the next 12 months.

However, one in five companies’ investments will be directed at maintaining existing assets. Staff training and development is seen as an investment priority by 69 per cent of companies, with the same proportion feeling likewise about investing in new markets and 64 per cent intending to invest in new technology.

Gentle said: “Our research suggests that the majority of large businesses across EMEA have reached a pivot point in their attitude to investing, with the impetus to use their cash reserves for growth increasing all the time. However, confidence remains brittle and it is likely that such activity will return gradually. There is a paradox in Europe between the firepower its companies have to invest and the ongoing requirement of the European Central Bank to announce a new stimulus package as happened earlier this month.

“Faced with an aging workforce business leaders seem set on addressing the challenge of increasing productivity to enhance competitiveness. Firms hope that by investing heavily in their workforce, they will see a boost to productivity and in turn grow. This is a major shift from the past 10 to 15 years where the focus has been less on the impact of human capital and more on technological and business process innovation.”

Deloitte said its analysis showed that EMEA businesses saw their home markets as critical. Over a third of respondents are set to make investments inside the EU in the next 12 months, followed by North America (27 per cent) and China (21%). In contrast, 13 per cent of companies will invest in Brazil, 8 per cent in India and just 4 per cent in Russia.