The future of M&A in 2023

The UK’s M&A market bounced back from the disruption caused by the pandemic, rising to record-breaking levels in 2021. A cooling-off period generally follows these growth spikes, and data from the Office for National Statistics certainly shows this was the case in 2022’s first half.

Interestingly, deals completed on Datasite tell a different story. Supporting over 13,000 deals annually, Datasite shows dealmakers are still active on a global scale. For example, for the first ten months of 2022, global M&A deals launched on Datasite are up 3% compared to the same period last year, with deals launched in EMEA and APAC up 13% and 19%, respectively. Specifically, M&A sale launches on Datasite have remained more buoyant year-over-year than publicly announced M&A activity. As many deals never get disclosed or disclosure is delayed, this difference suggests the M&A market is busier than the current news cycle suggests.