Globally, after one of the most successful years for M&A activity in 2021, last year brought a significant slowdown because of the high uncertainty, rising funding costs, soaring energy prices and supply chain turmoil. The value of mergers and acquisitions slumped by 37% year-on-year, while the value of European M&A went down by 28%.
“Despite the still volatile environment, we expect 2023 activity to reflect the fact that the fundamentals that prompted the record high levels of deals in recent years are still largely valid. Moreover, we believe the current market context is a unique opportunity for strategic players, with strong balance sheets to strategically reposition themselves on the long term,” stated Iulia Bratu, Head of Lead Advisory, EY Romania.
Strategic investors continued to be the dominant players on the local M&A market, accounting for 88% of deals in 2022.
The most dynamic fields by deal volumes were technology (19.4% of deals) and real estate (16.3%), followed by health (11.2%), energy and utilities (8.1%) and diversified industrial products (7.8%).
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)