
Publication
Blue Bonds: Making a splash in the Capital Markets
In 2018, the Republic of Seychelles launched the first-ever “blue bond”, with the support of the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility.
Global | Publication | February 2025
Whilst merger and acquisition (M&A) markets have remained relatively subdued in the years since the pandemic, insurance transactions have kept ticking along.
Private equity investment driving broker M&A activity
There has been a consistently strong appetite for broker M&A, mainly driven by private equity (PE) directly investing into broker and managing general agencies (MGA) platforms and, indirectly, through acquisitions by such platforms as part of roll-up/consolidation strategies. This trend has been seen across the US, UK and increasingly mainland Europe and, given these fundamentals, the volume of deals has been significant, albeit due to the volume and the nature of the roll-up strategy, average deal size has been comparatively low.
Blockbuster broker M&A deals
However, 2024 saw a string of blockbuster broker M&A deals announced, including the acquisition of NFP by AON, that of McGriff by Marsh McLennan and, just before the end of 2024, Arthur J Gallagher’s proposed purchase of AssuredPartners. In light of this, are we seeing a fundamental shift in the market, with the insurgent broker-consolidators finding themselves in the headlights of their larger listed competitors?
In this article, we reflect on 2024 and explore what hot topics may shape insurance M&A in 2025 and beyond:
Indications are that 2025 will see the start of a new phase in the cycle and it could be a busy year for M&A across the insurance sector with activity driven by the various different factors and tailwinds discussed above.
Publication
In 2018, the Republic of Seychelles launched the first-ever “blue bond”, with the support of the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility.
Publication
We are delighted to be participating in Marine Money Week New York 2025. As one of the landmark events for the global shipping finance community, and with the global shipping and maritime industry at such a pivotal juncture, we look forward to catching up with clients and contacts to continue discussions around navigating the current challenges and opportunities.
Publication
On 8 May 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the CJEU) delivered its ruling in case C-581/23 (the Ruling), providing guidance on one of the conditions for an exclusive distribution agreement to benefit from the block exemption under Article 4(b)(i) of the 2010 Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (the VBER)1, notably the so-called ‘parallel imposition requirement’.
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