European M&A Deals 2023: Global trends and growth drivers

European M&A Deals:

The overall landscape in the mid-market sector remains robust going into 2024

Global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity remains resilient in the small to mid-cap segment - even while mega deals are more challenged in the face of a variety of headwinds and uncertainty, created by a range of geopolitical events.

Across Europe we saw 737 transactions completed by RSM Network Firms in the 12 months ended June 2024.

Indications for 2024 suggest there is and will be an ongoing, sharpened focus on micro-segments and portfolio building. With a significant volume of dry powder across private equity seeking safe havens insulated from eroding margins and reduced trade volumes, investors are likely to actively seek opportunities across multiple sectors, often on a cross-border basis.

Our series of M&A insights from global experts across the RSM network delves into the key trends we will see for the year ahead. This includes a focus on sector trends in healthcare, business services, consumer products and technology, media and telecommunications.

Our insights additionally include the impacts of future transition techs; the drive of bolt-on deals; and how deal making is being increasingly shaped by ESG considerations.

The changing shape of the market requires a higher degree of flexibility and expertise across the whole of the transactional timeline to get deals done.