William Fry: M&A activity nears €71bn in first half of 2018

Shane O'Donnell

The firm’s Mid-year M&A Review 2018, produced in association with Mergermarket, records 76 deals with a combined value of €70.9 billion over the period.

There were 41 outbound transactions with a deal value of €3.5 billion, up from €717 million in the first half of 2017.

The vast majority (92 per cent) of deals were in the mid-market (€5-250m) bracket.

There were 55 international deals worth €70.7 billion, remaining stable with the first half of 2017 (56), and 17 private equity deals with a value of €1 billion.

Shane O’Donnell, head of corporate/M&A at William Fry, said: “Following on from the levels of activity experienced last year, the first six months of 2018 have been notably buoyant for the Irish M&A market.

“76 deals worth €70.9bn targeting Irish firms gave rise to a record half-year deal value. Mid-market activity continues to be the engine of M&A in Ireland with over 90% of deal.”

Corporate partner Stephen Keogh added: “Although talk of trade wars and Brexit pose uncertainty, there is much to suggest that both foreign and domestic buyers will still be active in the Irish M&A market in addition to Irish buyers continuing to look further afield for attractive acquisitions.”