We expect the caution to lift as the year 2023 progresses
Ahead of our predictions and commentary by sector, investor type and theme, we offer in our Dutch M&A Predictions 2023 report a quick overview of the Dutch Mergers and Acquisitions market as we see it now, setting the scene for more detailed observations.
2023 Dutch M&A outlook
In our Predictions report for 2023, we see a marked contrast to the picture last year, when markets had more certainty and overall confidence. We suspect the Ukraine war and associated geopolitical events have dampened the Dutch M&A market by about 30% in overall volume from the post-COVID peak, but there remain pockets of vibrant activity – particularly in sectors such as life sciences, health care, technology and energy – and the fundamentals for continuing M&A activity remain in place. Within the less buoyant sectors, those tied to consumer spending are the most affected by recent economic events.
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Our findings
Of those economic factors, our research shows that rising interest rates; labour shortages; volatile equity markets; PE dry powder; and market disruptors such as the switch of business models towards digitisation and technology deployment are the most influential, rather than, say, inflation. With ample capital in reserve, sufficient stock market strength and acceptable interest rates, we can be confident that transactions will continue to take place, albeit at a lower level than in the post-COVID M&A era. There may be some initial hesitance in completing transactions, and more recourse to one-on-one deals and alternative structuring and financing methods, but we expect the caution to lift as the year progresses, so long as no further economic or geopolitical shocks occur.
Download the full Dutch M&A predictions 2023 report here or via the button and read more about the opportunities for you and your company in the Dutch Mergers & Acquisitions market.
Dutch M&A predictions 2022
Interested in last year’s predictions? You can still download the previous report by clicking here: Dutch M&A predictions 2022.
More information
Feel free to reach out to the contacts below or our sector leaders:
Claudia Brandenburg– Health Care & Life Science
Mark Casey – Technology and Financial Services
Laurens de Jager – Energy, Resources & Industrials
Neil Lomax – Public Sector
Michelle van Huijstee – Private Equity
Rolf Visser – Consumer Business
Onno Vos – Business Services