Going full throttle: Asset management M&A drive 'accelerated' by coronavirus crisis

Deals close at breakneck speed as economy recovers

The coronavirus pandemic put the brakes on merger and acquisition activity within asset and wealth (M&A) management in 2020, but as the global economy begins to reopen the impact of the crisis is expected to "accelerate" the pace of new deals within the sector.

Globally, there has been a strong start to 2021 with 314 asset and wealth management M&A deals completed as of 5 April, just short of the record 339 deals made over the same period in 2018, data from Refinitiv shows. In the UK, the record has been broken with 63 deals so far in 2021, surpassing the previous record of 41 deals set in 2018. Columbia Threadneedle to assume BMO EMEA asset management business Significant recent M&A deals have included the sale of BMO's EMEA asset management business to Columbia Threadneedle, and the ongoing negotiations for Amundi to acquire Lyxor. C...