Mergers & Acquisitions Market Update: After sustained upswing, Ukraine war unsettles outlook for 2022

While global economy continued to recover from the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic last year, the global M&A market also saw new upward momentum. Currently, however, the war in Ukraine with its far-reaching effects is threatening to slow down the momentum that has just resumed.
For 2021, the annual Baker Tilly report, prepared in collaboration with M&A intelligence firm Mergermarket, shows a remarkable 77 percent increase in the annual volume of international transactions. This is particularly notable because market participants faced ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties throughout the year.

Below please find an overview of the most important study results:

• Global M&A volume in 2021: US$5.9 trillion
• Global number of M&A deals in 2021: 34,128 deals 
• 77% increase in annual global international transaction value
• 5% increase in annual global international transaction volume
• 6% increase in mid-market deals in 2021 compared to 2020
• North America top geography by M&A deal value in 2021
• Asia-Pacific top region by M&A deal volume in 2021
• Tech M&A accounted for 33% of transaction value and 36% of transaction volume in 2021
• 69% more mega deals in 2021

Our entire M&A Market Update is available for download here.