M&A activity has remained stable at elevated levels across North America and Europe in 2Q 2018. The quarter saw 4,735 deals completed totaling $987.8 billion across these regions. In the 2Q 2018 M&A Report, our analysts forecast that activity will sustain its steady pace with multiple mega-deals set to close in the back half of the year. The full report deliberates on 1H performance, touching on factors such as rising US interest rates, negative Brexit pressures and their effect on dealmaking in the UK, and how shifts in the lending and asset management sectors are driving dealmaking within financial services.
M&A
Report
2Q 2018
Contents
Key takeaways
2
Overview
3-6
Deals by size & sector
7
Spotlight: Financial services
8-9
Spotlight: European M&A
10-11
Credits & Contact
PitchBook Data, Inc.
John Gabbert Founder, CEO
Adley Bowden Vice President,
Market Development & Analysis
Content
Wylie Fernyhough Analyst, PE
Bryan Hanson Senior Data Analyst
Darren Klees Data Analyst
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Cover design by Caroline Suttie
Click here for PitchBook’s report
methodologies.
32
mega-deals completed
in 1H 2018
3,848
deals completed in
Europe in 1H 2018
$140.3B
in financial services
deals completed in 1H
2018
Key takeaways from the analysts
2Q 2018 saw 5,472 deals completed
totaling $939.1 billion across North
America and Europe—a 3% and 33%
increase, respectively, over the 5,322
deals worth $704.8 billion reported
in 1Q 2018. The 32 mega-deals ($5
billion+) completed in 1H lifted total
deal value while the number of
transactions remained level.
M&A activity has been steady
across Europe in 1H 2018, with 3,848
transactions completed totaling $512.6
billion. North American activity was
stable as well with 5,881 completed
deals worth $955.6 billion. The number
of announced mega-deals across both
regions ought to ensure M&A activity
continues to boom.
The financial services sector
experienced an uptick in activity while
value fell as fewer large deals closed.
In 1H, the sector saw 910 deals with
a total value of $140.3 billion close,
compared to the 973 transactions
worth $215.7 billion in 1H 2017. The
industry is undergoing a substantial
shift that has led M&A to be viewed as
a tool to position firms for the future.
Note: This report was updated on September 21, 2018 to account for a previous
error in underlying methodology.
PITCHBOOK 2Q 2018 M&A REPORT
2
Overview
Source: PitchBook
*As of June 30, 2018
M&A investment experienced an
uptick in the second quarter due to
several completed meg