M&A activity subdued in Q2 as borrowing costs rise

Challenging market conditions

M&A activity was subdued during the second quarter of the year, weighed on by higher interest rates increasing the cost of borrowing.

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, the total combined number of cross-border and domestic M&A deals involving a change in majority share ownership was 450 between April and June. This is 58 transactions fewer than in the first quarter, during which there were 508. The provisional total number of monthly domestic and cross-border M&A deals fell slightly during April 2023, in which there were 163 deals, falling further during May, to 142 deals, before stabilising in June at 145. Number of UK M&A deals drops in Q1 2023 Inward M&A value, which comprises forei...