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Dealmakers are betting that megamergers will gather a pick-up pace under Donald Trump's presidency, after a rebound in big deals has helped push the value of takeovers back past the $3tn mark this year.

The value of mergers and acquisitions globally is up 11 percent so far this year, an improvement from 2022's disappointment when dealmaking is below the $3tn threshold For the first time in a decade.

The value of so-called megadeals, at more than $5 billion, was up 19 percent year-to-date, boosting the figures, even as the total number of deals fell by a fifth to a nine-year low, according to data from According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group.

“Especially for big deal M&A, it's mostly about the CEO and the board
Tony Kim, co-president of investment banking at the boutique Centerview Partners, said the level of trust and — putting his politics aside for a minute — high optimism among CEOs for their businesses with the new administration.

“I don't think you can call [it being] A gangbuster year in 2025
But there are certainly many signs that point to it," he added.

Dealmakers hope Trump's return to the White House will mean less regulatory scrutiny of large mergers, after the skeptical stance taken by watchdogs during Joe Biden's administration.

"There is hope that the regulatory framework will be less burdensome," said Anu Iyengar, global head of advisory and M&A for JPMorgan Chase.

The biggest proposed deal this year was Canadian retailer Alimentation Couch-Tard's proposed $47 billion purchase of Japan's Seven & I, the company that owns 7-Eleven. No deal has reachedThe Japanese conglomerate is also receiving a rival buyout offer from members of the founding family.

Other major deals include US lender Capital One's agreement to buy rival Discover Financial for $35.3 billion and consumer giant Mars' deal to acquire Pringles and Pop-Tarts maker Calanova for $35.9 billion.

While activity slowed in the last three months of the year compared to the third quarter, a A flurry of deals After the US election in November.

“Rumours of the demise of the M&A market were, to an extent, exaggerated,” said Stefan Feldgois, global co-head of M&A for Goldman Sachs. "There has been a significant increase in activism since the election."

The US accounted for 46 percent of global activity this year, although deals there grew by just 8 percent. Asia Pacific M&A was down 2 percent, although activity in Japan jumped 45 percent to a 19-year high.

The UK again proved a popular place to buy, with deals involving UK target companies up 46 per cent for London-listed stocks. Europe bounced back with M&A in the region up 20 percent over last year.

Some of the biggest European deals this year were the result of corporate streamlining, such as the sale of Deutsche Bahn's logistics unit to Danish group DSV for €14.3bn and the controlling stake in Sanofi's consumer healthcare subsidiary Clayton Dubillier. and purchase of rice. Business at a €16bn value.

Jan Weber, who leads M&A for Morgan Stanley across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said he expects the region's dealmakers to pursue long-considered transactions in the new year. "[These ideas] Some have been on the shelf for a while and now they are being dusted off again,” he said.

Private equity-backed takeovers rose 25% to $670bn. But the industry faces a multi-trillion dollar backlog of investments to be sold.

Higher interest rates weigh on deal volume and there is still "a gap on value between buyer and seller expectations," said Rafael Bejarano, co-head of global investment banking at Jefferies.

Global investment banking fees have risen 12 percent to $111 billion so far this year, above the 10-year average. Goldman Sachs maintains its billing as the top global financial advisor for M&A transactions. Morgan Stanley overtook JP Morgan for the second place ranking.