Global trends in merger control enforcement report- 2025 | A&O Shearman

Merger control and foreign investment hurdles contributed to a challenging 2024 for M&A. 2025 looks more promising, with pro-business agendas and regulatory easing in key jurisdictions expected to fuel a surge in dealmaking –

Geopolitical uncertainty and a softer M&A market made for a challenging environment for dealmaking in 2024. A heightened risk of antitrust and foreign investment intervention added to this complexity. But, looking ahead, there is cause for optimism. A surge in dealmaking is expected in 2025, fueled by “pro-business” and growth agendas in key jurisdictions and a trend towards a generally more permissive regulatory environment.

In this tenth edition of our global merger control enforcement report, looking back over the past year we observe that antitrust authorities frustrated more deals in 2024 than in any of the previous four years. They largely remained unwilling to accept merger remedies, focused on novel concerns, and subjected merging parties to lengthy review procedures. As a result, abandoned cases rose by over 50%.

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