With the shadows of financial crisis receding, India-related mergers and acquisitions are likely to

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gain momentum in the months ahead, top investment bankers said today.

"We are likely to see more cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the coming days, thanks to the sufficient liquidity and bullish stock markets," DSP Merrill Lynch's MD (mergers and acquisitions) Raj Balakrishnan said at a seminar here.

Compared to the last year, when mergers and acquisition (M&A) activities significantly slowed down on account of the impact of global financial turmoil, cross-border take overs are poised to gather momentum in the foreseeable future, Balakrishnan said.

According to a recent study, M&A activity in the country more than doubled in the first month of 2010 as deals worth nearly USD three billion (about Rs 13,950 crore) were announced amid improved signs of liquidity.

In January this year, there were as many as 29 domestic deals worth USD 2,303 million compared to 14 transactions worth USD 589 million in January 2009.