A book that spotlights trends in the private equity and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, "Private Equity and M&A Trends 2026" (Jieum Media), has been published. The subtitle is "The next step of the giant standing at an inflection point."
The book reviews Korea's private equity and M&A market this year and looks ahead to changes in the investment and advisory environment from next year on. It assesses that, starting this year, the Korean private equity industry has reached a major inflection point due to tighter regulation, shifting public opinion, and greater market maturity.
Amid successive institutional changes such as amendments to the Commercial Act, tighter regulation on leveraged buyouts (LBOs), the introduction of a mandatory tender offer system, and restrictions on the use of treasury shares, the book examines what role private equity should play beyond being a purely financial investor in corporate governance and industry restructuring. It also covers key issues from this year, including the cases of MBK Partners and Homeplus Co.
Going further, it organizes promising sectors by focusing on areas where recent M&A and private equity investment have been active, including artificial intelligence (AI), biotech, K-content, defense, aviation, beauty and aesthetic devices, waste and environment, and the well-dying industry. It introduces examples such as infrastructure related to AI data centers, aircraft maintenance and cargo, the expansion of exports in K-defense, the stable revenue structure of waste and environmental infrastructure, and the global expansion of K-beauty and K-content, while also explaining how private equity and strategic investors approach growth industries.
The writing team includes economic newspaper reporters covering the capital market and M&A, authors from private equity firms and institutional investors, partner attorneys at law firms who have handled capital market and private equity work, and practitioners in industrial and strategy consulting. Combining field cases, statistics, and institutional analysis, it aims to serve as a practical and market primer for private equity managers, institutional investors, corporations' finance and strategy managers, advisory firms and consultants, and policymakers.
The authors are Cho Se-hun, Lee Young-ho, Oh Gwi-hwan, Lee Seung-hyuk, Seo Jong-gap, Ahn Jung-sung, and the Luxent Future Management Research Institute.