View the financial advisory shortlist for Mergermarket's European M&A Awards 2020.

View the legal advisory shortlist for Mergermarket's European M&A Awards 2020.

The volume of announced deals involving UK targets in the first two quarters of the year fell 68.6% compared to the same period last year, leading to the quietest start to a calendar year for dealmaking since 2009.

Mergermarket data shows that the German-speaking region ended the first half of 2020 in terms of M&A better off  than the rest of the continent. 

Regional dealmakers remain cautious about the prospects of an M&A recovery in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Nonetheless, in spite of fears surrounding a second wave of the pandemic, activity is reigniting in selected sectors, albeit under "new normal" conditions.

At the half-year stage, US dealflow was down sharply whilst China was least impacted. Megadeals declined although mid-market showed resiliency. Meanwhile, private equity's global M&A market share reached record level.

Advisors seek consensus on how much to discount pre-crisis valuations.

Private equity firms have become increasingly interested in professional sports. 

Watch Mergermarket’s Virtual Event on the M&A market outlook in Benelux in partnership with Datasite here.

Watch Mergermarket’s Virtual Event on the M&A market outlook in the CEE region here.

European M&A looks set to remain at historically low levels through 2020 with a recovery unlikely until mid-2021, as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic consequences. 

Watch Mergermarket’s Virtual Event on the ItalianM&A outlook and the impact of Covid-19.  

• Transactions need more time online
• Scenario-based due diligence to become the norm
• VDD to start earlier in the exit process