M and A outlook 2022

We examine key legal and regulatory developments driving and shaping M&A around the world

View M&A Outlook 2023

Global M&A has seen a record breaking year with deal activity totalling US$5.9 trillion in 2021 (Source: Refinitiv). This has included over US$2 trillion in cross-border deals and all-time high activity for most geographic regions. Many factors are seen to be driving this including an abundant availability of cheap capital and an increasingly active private equity market.

Will this growth continue into 2022, what will be the drivers for growth, and what trends are expected for global businesses in the year ahead?

Lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright have been at the forefront of the current high levels of M&A activity, advising our clients on some of the most complex and innovative deals around the world. Our strong international presence and our deep knowledge of the sectors our clients operate in has given us a unique vantage point to not only look at the factors to be considered today, but also the future direction of M&A in the years ahead.

We have invited a number of our global M&A specialist lawyers to contribute articles on the trends they are seeing, and expect to see, in markets around the world over 2022 and beyond. Below you can browse and read our latest insights which we will continue to add to throughout the year, if you wish to receive an alert when we publish new articles please register your interest here.

We hope you find our articles both interesting and of practical use. Should you wish to discuss your M&A requirements or have any questions on the topics covered in these articles please contact our lawyers listed below.

Latest insights

M&A Outlook 2022: How to stay ahead of the curve with ESG investing and sustainability disclosure standards

In both the public and private sectors, there has been a growing interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters.

United Kingdom | Publication | March 07, 2022

M&A Outlook 2022: W&I insurance | a resilient factor in M&A transactions

Although the first ever Warranty & Indemnity insurance (better known in the US as Representation & Warranty insurance) (W&I insurance) policy was written more than twenty years ago, it is only in the past five to ten years that W&I insurance has become a mainstream and widely applied M&A solution for larger and smaller M&A transactions.

Global | Publication | March 02, 2022

M&A Outlook 2022: Trends in UK public M&A | The outlook for 2022

The general expectation amongst M&A practitioners seems to be that the current high level of UK public M&A activity will be sustained as we move into 2022, and may well increase significantly in line with M&A activity more broadly – a rising tide lifts all ships.

United Kingdom | Publication | January 14, 2022

M&A Outlook 2022: EU Commission makes its mark on European FDI screening

Regulation 2019/452 (as amended, the FDI Regulation) inserted the European Commission (the Commission) into a hitherto jealously guarded area of EU Member State authority – screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) for threats to security and public order. In spite of its limited formal powers, the Commission now plays a key role in setting FDI screening policy in Europe, and its importance is set to increase further.

Global | Publication | January 14, 2022

M&A Outlook 2022: Raising the bar | A more challenging antitrust and national security climate for M&A

2022 is a year when M&A is likely to face increasing regulatory challenges:

Global | Publication | January 14, 2022

M&A Outlook 2022: The rising popularity of multinational carve-outs | Factors for success and failure

2021 has seen M&A-activity at its highest ever levels notwithstanding multiple disruptive trends, the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical risk and increasing inflation. It is fair to say that these trends are likely to continue in 2022.

Global | Publication | January 14, 2022

M&A Outlook 2022: SPACs | What to expect in the year ahead?

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) as an asset class saw their strongest year by volume ever in 2021 with over 600 completed initial public offerings (IPOs) in the United States. That performance came on the heels of a strong year for SPAC IPOs in 2020, which saw about 250 SPAC IPOs completed.

Global | Publication | January 13, 2022

M&A Outlook 2022: M&A trends in Asia Pacific

Last year was a stellar year for M&A across the Asia Pacific region, with the uptick in activity which began in H2 2020 only accelerating through 2021.

Global | Publication | January 13, 2022