We are pleased to share with you the 2024 edition of the European MA Outlook published by CMS in association with Mergermarket.
The report offers a comprehensive assessment of dealmaking sentiment in Europe’s M&A market and reflects the opinions of 330 corporates and PE firms based in Europe, the Americas and APAC about their expectations for the year ahead.
M&A activity in Europe this year has been entangled in higher inflation, rising interest rates and an uncertain economic outlook. Against this backdrop, projections for M&A over the coming 12 months are undoubtedly mixed. Yet the vast majority of respondents to our survey anticipate engaging in M&A over the coming period, suggesting a healthy volume of activity in the near term. And, as valuations appear to have stabilised over the course of 2023, the stage looks set for a meeting of minds between buyers and sellers over the medium term – at which point M&A may well start truly turning a corner.
Key findings of the report include:
- M&A expectation are running high: 73% of deal makers expect the level of European M&A activity to increase over the next 12 months, compared to just 53% last year. Almost all are currently considering M&A.
- Undervalued targets and distressed sales to drive activity: the biggest buy-side driver is expected to be the availability of undervalued deal targets, whilst on the sell-side it is expected to be distressed situations.
- Cost of financing will increase: 87% of deal makers expect financing to be tighter compared with 2021 – this includes 45% who expect it to be much harder.
- ESG rises up the M&A agenda: 90% of respondents expect ESG scrutiny in their dealmaking to increase over the next three years, compared to 72% in 2021’s survey.
To access the full report, click here:
For more information, please contact::
Juraj Fuska, Partner, M&A, Corporate, CMS Bratislava
E: juraj.fuska@cms-cmno.com, M: +421 905 313 756
Oliver Werner, Managing Partner, Corporate M&A, Compliance, CMS Bratislava
E: oliver.werner@cms-rrh.com, M: +421 2 3214 1416
For media enquiries, please contact:
Michal Huťan
About CMS: Founded in 1999, CMS is an integrated, multi-jurisdictional organisation of law firms that offers full-service legal and tax advice. With more than 70 offices in over 40 countries across the world and more than 5,000 lawyers, CMS has long-standing expertise both in advising in its local jurisdictions and across borders. From major multinationals and mid-caps to enterprising start-ups, CMS provides the technical rigour, strategic excellence and long-term partnership to keep each client ahead in its chosen markets.
The CMS member firms provide a wide range of expertise across 19 practice areas and sectors, including Corporate/M&A, Energy & Climate Change, Funds, Life Sciences & Healthcare, TMC, Tax, Banking & Finance, Commercial, Antitrust, Competition & Trade, Dispute Resolution, Employment & Pensions, Intellectual Property, Real Estate, Consumer Products and Hotels & Leisure. For more information, please visit: www.cms.law
