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5 Key M&A Trends Shaping the Deal-Making Landscape in 2025
M&A
5 Key M&A Trends Shaping the Deal-Making Landscape in 2025
Merger and acquisition deals have been consistent during times of global economic uncertainty. Firms are now seeking to gain access to new markets, diversify their portfolios, and look for synergies.
Statista's survey findings indicate that global M&A transactions reached a total value of 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. The United States emerged as the most active market and represented over half of the total market activity. The technology, goods, and energy sectors recognize India and Brazil as rising markets.
Discover the main M&A trends in this blog, along with top M&A advisory options for accounting firms.
5 Mergers and Acquisitions Trends
In 2024, around 50,000 M&A deals were announced globally. However, only 1% exceeded $1bn, and these deals have a bigger impact than the actual acquisition. M&A trends continue to shape the future of firms. Recently, the environment has been disrupted by technology, AI, and other global megatrends.
Here are some key M&A trends shaping the future of deal-making:
Trend 1: Finance Controlling in Mergers and Acquisitions
As stated in Harvard Business Review articles, one analysis shows that 70-90% of M&A deals never accomplish what they set out to do. That, in itself, is a displacement from the expected added value. It highlights the need to understand the immense problems and challenges of implementing these transactions.
Within these parameters, M&As serve as alternative methods that can help in breaking through these financial “ceilings” and aid in fulfilling strategic objectives. Financial conflicts stem from multiple causes, but the most important ones are credit scarcity, inability to procure new funds, excessive bank debt financing, and the risk of having non-liquid assets.
Trend 2: AI in Due Diligence
As artificial intelligence continues to change how firms approach mergers and acquisitions, the use of AI technologies is growing in the due diligence stages. AI helps predictive accuracy, which in turn improves the quality of decision-making.
AI tools deploy strategies to analyze data for risk patterns found in legal documents.
AI can also analyze vast amounts of data in a short period, looking for patterns and potential problems in contracts, financial records, and other documents.
AI tools can assist in the plethora of tasks involved in legal due diligence by reviewing contracts significantly more efficiently than humans, saving considerable time and money.
AI excels at finding latent risks by studying market and firm data to create forecasts and spot potential issues.
Trend 3: ESG in Mergers and Acquisitions
Government policies and legislative frameworks focus on enabling firms to implement ESG during M&As. Firms have started to adopt sustainable models, creating a change in the approach of decision-making processes in relation to M&A activities.
M&A Dealing with the integration of ESG offers a multi-faceted view of a firm's existence, covering social, environmental, and governance aspects. Furthermore, these factors impact not only a firm’s moral and social functions but also its financial outcomes, risk, and market value.
For Example:
Firms conduct evaluations of ESG exposure issues concerning the regional firm targeted for acquisition beyond just financial risks. The firm analyzes all potential problems concerning cultural assimilation alongside legal exposure and pre-existing environmental obligations.
Trend 4: Vertical Integration
M&A activity integration has rapidly increased in mergers and acquisitions. Firms are looking to control more and more of the supply chain and value creation processes of their firms.
Controlling multiple levels of production allows for the consolidation of processes and the removal of third parties. A supplier or a customer is often the other party in vertical mergers, and this is useful for firms because they obtain important inputs.
There has been a recent increase in vertical integration in the healthcare industry. Firms are investing in building value-based care infrastructure, care coordination platforms, and an integrated delivery system.
Many providers have turned to mergers with health plans and pharmacy benefit managers to form integrated systems. This trend is seen with Amazon's acquisition of One Medical for $3.9 billion and CVS Health’s purchase of Signify Health for $8 billion.
This strategy was also adopted by a number of technology firms that started manufacturing semiconductors for domestic use. Not only did this guarantee supply for key parts, but it also facilitated better control over the production processes.
Trend 5: Digital Mergers and Acquisitions
Whether using cloud technologies or ‘AI-assisted’ data analytics, firms are now more easily performing due diligence, valuation, and post-merger integration work than ever before.
One example of evidence in support of this trend is virtual data rooms (VDRs). These online spaces are important for firms to upload and share confidential documents during transactions. Virtual data rooms have become the default technology in M&A transactions.
Deals are now negotiated and closed over video calls. Deal teams have moved to platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, meaning less travel and greatly reduced time and money spent on it. With the rise in the use of digital signatures, the turnaround time for deals has shortened dramatically.
1. Draw an illustration of a virtual room
Take a sheet of paper → Draw small squares representing major files → Below the major files, add the expected files → Lastly, assign access to people for each file.
2. Assign access
Assign limited access to buyers even when they have signed an NDA → Do not share the Human Resources folder outside of the HR and management department. → Hide the names of firms involved in the transaction when sharing files with buyers.
3. Create a systemized filing system
Create a master file that has the documents required by buyers → Such as non-confidential files, standard NDA, and pitch deck → Separate regular documents from sensitive documents → At the outset, create a separate folder for financials, legal, HR, and private files.
Mergers and Acquisitions in the Global Market: Challenges and Opportunities
The complex issues posed by the integration of two firms during M&A are one of the most difficult challenges. This is more challenging if the two merging firms have different cultures and national backgrounds. Here are some M&A challenges in the global market:
Organizational culture is made up of values, beliefs, and even behavioral practices that employees use while interacting with each other.
Employees of merging firms are often resistant to core integration because their firms' differing operational cultures are becoming a set of cross-border operations.
Numerous studies have documented disparate approaches to task and integration, indicating a need to consider culture as a contributing factor to a firm's success or failure in M&A.
Most firms consider direct communication the norm, while the Eastern Asian region, which appreciates indirect communication, may find direct communication aggressive or confrontational.
Opportunities in Global Mergers and Acquisitions:
There is greater economic activity in emerging markets than in developed regions.
Emerging market firms can gain access to a new consumer market, new industries, and an increased demand for valuable goods and services. There is also a lower correlation between mature and emerging markets, reducing combined risk.
Acquiring these firms helps to gain local market knowledge and an understanding of consumer behavior, distribution channels, and regulatory expectations. This knowledge not only facilitates the entry process but also ensures that integration into the firm is smooth.
Acquisitions in emerging markets enable firms to strengthen their position in international markets and serve as a stepping stone into regions where those firms base their operations. If these firms want to emerge as competitors on the global stage, they may also provide a strategic foothold.
Additionally, many emerging markets have lower labor and operations costs, which allows emerging market firms to scale their operations cheaply. As a result, these firms stand to gain by acquiring firms in such markets.
Why Choose MYCPE ONE M&A Advisory for CPA and Accounting Firms
MYCPE ONE M&A Advisory specializes in facilitating mergers and acquisitions for accounting firms. With experience working with over 1,000 firms, MYCPE ONE knows the complexities involved in transactions. You can explore opportunities by either selling your practice, buying the practice you need, or discovering listings. MYCPE ONE is a reliable advisor with:
500+ Valuation Reports Download
50+ Expert advisors
1,000+ Registered Buyers
200+ Active Listings
75+ Successful Transactions
$ 250 M+ In Deals Closed
Conclusion
Keeping abreast of the fast-changing M&A trends requires careful consideration, particularly with deal-making in the volatile environment in which it currently operates. From AI-led due diligence, through the integration of ESG elements into the strategy, to the digital M&A work, the global M&A market trends are a blend of creativity and opportunities.
From entering into developing regions to capturing the benefits of vertical integration, these trends provide important guidance for any firm seeking to grow strategically. For firms looking for dependable and expert help, trust MYCPE ONE M&A Advisory to offer proven M&A insights, unmatched expertise, and an extensive network of buyers and sellers, making the firm the go-to partner for accounting firms wanting to take advantage of mergers and acquisitions activity around the world.
FAQs
According to McKinsey & Company, the average M&A deal value rose by 8% in 2024, amounting to $413 million. The number of announced deals increased from 1,910 to 2,044 in 2024.
MYCPE ONE is the best consulting firm for M&A for CPA and accounting firms. With the right buyer and the best terms, you can maximize the value of your accounting firm. By helping you connect with the right seller, you can meet your specific needs and budget.
Shawn Parikh is the CEO and Co-Founder of MYCPE ONE. A Chartered Accountant by qualification, he has over 15 years of experience of being a problem solver for small to mid-size firms and over time he has given consultation to thousands of CPAs, accountants and tax pros. Shawn has always been a big believer and advocate of social enterprises and small accounting firms & businesses. He consults and speaks on several topics ranging from Building Remote Team - Remote Working, Offshore Staffing, strategic planning, Scalability of Accounting Practice, cloud accounting, practice management, LinkedIn marketing, etc.
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