Mergers & Acquisitions 2022 Annual Review

2022 M&A ANNUAL REVIEW M&A in 2022 and 2023 Trends Following a year of unprecedented M&A deal activity, 2022 saw the global M&A market settle back into a more familiar pace. The year finished 38.8% lower than 2021’s record level, but only 9.3% lower than 2015-2019 averages and on par with 2020, according to MergerMarket . 1 A year of two halves, 2022 deal volume dropped 40% between the first and second halves as rising interest rates, inflation, a war in Europe, and volatile equity markets chipped away at market confidence and lending conditions tightened. Private equity buyers, buoyed by dry powder, continued to drive market activity. While down from 2021’s high, 2022 was still the second highest year for private equity activity since 2007. In the following pages, we’ll review the M&A markets in 2022 and major legal and regulatory trends that will impact dealmaking in 2023. 1 For further information, please see M&A Highlights: FY22 | ION Analytics Community.