What should deal-makers expect from merger control in 2025?

Neely Agin and Claire Forster discuss merger control developments as part of our video series on antitrust and competition trends. They discuss the general climate for merger control and, in particular, significant developments in the US and Australia.

This includes recent changes in the US that have considerably increased the information and documentary requirements for merger control filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, including with regard to “supervisory deal team lead” documents and information about parties’ competitive overlaps. Also discussed is Australia’s new mandatory merger control regime which commences on 1 January 2026, under which relevant transactions will need to be notified to and await approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) before closing. This includes discussion of key changes compared to the ACCC’s current voluntary notification regime, as well as transitional arrangements prior to the new mandatory regime coming into force.