Looser Regs Boost Worldwide M&A Value 50% in 2025

The value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) announced worldwide in 2025 was reportedly the highest since 2021 and the second highest in the more than 40 years of records kept by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).

The total value reached $4.5 trillion in 2025, up nearly 50% from the previous year, the Financial Times reported Friday (Dec. 26), citing data from the LSEG.

Among the deals announced in 2025 were 68 that were worth at least $10 billion each, according to the report.

The year’s biggest deals include the battle between Netflix and Paramount for Warner Bros. Discovery and the merger between railroads Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, the report said.

The FT report attributed the increase in M&A activity to buoyant markets, readily available financing and the Trump administration’s push to loosen regulations. The momentum was temporarily slowed by the announcement of new U.S. tariffs in April but quickly recovered and then ended the year with back-to-back quarters with over $1 trillion in M&A activity, the report said.

It was reported Dec. 18 that 2025 had seen a record 70 M&A deals worth more than $10 billion each and that 22 of those deals happened in the fourth quarter.

That report by Reuters, which cited data from Dealogic, said that despite the turbulence churned up by White House tariffs, deals had already exceeded $4.8 trillion this year, a 41% increase over 2024.

It’s the second-biggest year on record, surpassed only by 2021, when rates close to zero and COVID stimulus led to a $6-plus trillion year for M&A.

When announcing its findings, Dealogic said that this “year of the megadeals” set the stage for a stronger 2026.

“Expectations of a lighter-touch regulatory environment, alongside inflationary pressures and a fast-evolving industrial landscape, spurred large-cap corporates and sponsors to place long-term bets on assets with thematic resilience,” Dealogic said.

It was reported in November that 2025 was on pace to be the busiest year for bank mergers since 2021. At that point, nearly 150 bank mergers worth around $45 billion had closed this year, driven by American regulators greenlighting these mergers at the quickest pace in more than 30 years.