This year's global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market reached $4.5 trillion, exceeding 6,500 trillion won. It was the largest since 2021, with as many as 68 mega transactions worth $10 billion (about 14.45 trillion won) or more pouring in, expanding the market.
According to the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) on the 27th, this year's global M&A market totaled $4.5 trillion (about 6,502 trillion won), up 50% from a year earlier. It was the largest in four years since $5.8 trillion (about 8,380 trillion won) in 2021.
Although the total number of completed M&A deals fell 7% from last year, 68 mega transactions of $10 billion or more poured in, including U.S. railroad company Union Pacific acquiring East Coast railroad Norfolk Southern for $85 billion (about 123 trillion won).
A so-called big deal was also signaled in the media industry. Paramount is pushing a hostile M&A of Warner Bros. Discovery. If the transaction goes through, it is expected to result in a transaction exceeding $100 billion (about 144.5 trillion won).
Analysts say the deregulation trend that accelerated after the launch of the Donald Trump administration in the United States is spurring corporations to aggressively bulk up. In fact, U.S. corporations' M&A volume this year totaled $2.3 trillion (about 3,323 trillion won).
The Financial Times (FT) cited Tony Kim, co-CEO of investment bank Centerview Partners, as saying, "A $100 billion transaction is the first in 10 years," and reported that "transactions that fundamentally change industry structure are continuing."