Mon, 27 Feb 2023 | BUSINESS NEWS
New research from Experian Market IQ has revealed that UK M&A remained resilient during 2022, despite numerous headwinds. Faced with geopolitical turmoil and economic uncertainty, annual UK deal volume declined only slightly from 7,210 transactions in 2021 to 7,080 last year.
Furthermore, Experian reported solid year-on-year growth in several key industries, including hospitality, tech and healthcare. One particularly notable feature of M&A during 2022 was the prominence of cross-border dealmaking.
According to Experian, the value of inward investment into the UK increased by around 41 per cent year on year in 2022, reaching nearly £100 billion from 727 inbound transactions. Meanwhile, outbound investment from UK buyers hit a record level of 654 in 2022, compared to 595 during 2021.
Private equity activity was also particularly prominent during 2022, with Experian recording 1,771 M&A transactions last year involving private equity funding, compared to 1,727 in 2021. This figure was the highest number of PE-backed M&A deals announced in one year for the UK, representing 25 per cent of the UK total.
Overall, deal value of private equity transactions stood at £85.5 billion last year, around 37 per cent of the total deal value of M&A in the UK during 2022.
Experian MarketIQ Research Manager Jane Turner commented: “M&A in the UK slowed slightly last year amid challenging conditions, but deal flow remained healthy and market sentiment was by no means doom and gloom.”
“There was robust year-on-year growth in key industry segments - with booming activity in the tech, healthcare and hospitality sectors. Regionally, several parts of the country bucked the trend to enjoy recordbreaking transaction volume in 2022, boosted by strong cross border M&A both on the inward and outbound side, along with a vibrant private equity sector - testament to the resilience and flexibility of the UK M&A market, as deal makers adapted quickly to the new normal.”
Read our outlook for M&A in 2023.
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