Australian-involvement announced M&A activity hit an all-time high, with deals amounting to US$397.8 billion so far this year, more than a four-fold increase in value compared to the annual period in 2020, new data from Refinitiv showed.
A total of 11 mega deals (above US$5 billion) involving Australia, including the dual-headed share unification of BHP Billiton PLC, have been announced so far during 2021, with a combined value of US$223.4 billion, the highest tally since records began in 1980.
Inbound activity saw US$94.6 billion worth of deals, almost a three-fold increase in value compared to last year, led by Square Inc’s US$27.7 billion acquisition of Afterpay, which is currently the biggest Australian inbound deal on record.
Overall, acquisitions from United States captured 57.7 per cent market share of Australia’s inbound activity and totalled US$54.6 billion, a five-time increase in value from a year ago (US$10.2 billion).
Domestic M&A amounted to US$145.5 billion, up 391.2 per cent from last year, while outbound M&A totalled US$148.4 billion, more than a five-time increase in value compared to 2020.
By value, United Kingdom takes the top as most targeted nation for Australian acquisitions which accounted for 59.3 per cent market share, while United States saw the highest number of acquisitions from Australia with 80 deals worth US$9.2 billion, down 16.8 per cent in value year-on-year.
