M&A transaction volume in the UK financial services sector 2016-2023

In 2023, the financial sector was the United Kingdom’s fifth leading merger and acquisition (M&A) industry in terms of volume. Historically, the finance sector accounted for over 12 percent of all deals made in the UK. In terms of overall value of deals, the finance sector was the leading industry, accounting for more than one sixth of deals made between 2000 and 2018.

UK M&A

In 2019, UK companies accounted for over a quarter of the total value of M&A deals Western Europe. On a global scale, the United Kingdom (UK) was the third largest target country, amounting to almost 290 billion U.S dollars in deals.

M&A worldwide

In 2020, the value of mergers and acquisitions worldwide fell from the previous year. The largest deal ever was seen in 1999, which included the acquisition of Mannesmann AG by Vodafone AirTouch Plc for over 200 billion U.S dollars.