Introduction
In the 12th edition of our report, we bring you the key deal highlights and M&A trends across UK/Europe in the past 12 months which have shaped the financial services landscape. Focusing on the following verticals:
Key highlights include:
- Banks: Europe’s banks restructure, consolidate and partner their way into the digital future.
- Fintech: Tepid UK & European private capital markets spur unicorns into inorganic opportunities.
- Asset/Wealth Management: Europe’s barbell becomes more pronounced—larger asset/wealth managers swallow smaller competitors at pace.
- Payments: Equity and debt cheques from financial sponsors fuel growth, with investment committee appetite across the full spectrum from Seed through to late-stage/pre-IPO. The payments sector bucks the trend on IPOs.
- Stock Exchanges/Clearing Houses/Trading Venues: Cautious deployment of M&A war chests while concerns relating to IPO and equity market trading buoyancy continue.
- Brokers/Corporate Finance: Mid-market investment banks consolidate at the fastest rate yet—reshaping the City skyline.
- Consumer Finance: Inflexion point arrives for UK & European consumer lending. The strong will survive as BNPL and POS finance become the norm for e-commerce.
- Specialty Finance/Marketplace Lending: Consolidation fever grips non-bank lenders and banks alike—SME lending, revenue-based finance and PropFinance at its core.
European financial services M&A trends
Tepid UK & European private capital markets spur unicorns into inorganic opportunities
insight
Asset / Wealth Management
Europe’s barbell becomes more pronounced—larger asset / wealth managers swallow smaller competitors at pace.
Payments
Equity and debt cheques from financial sponsors fuel growth, with investment committee appetite across the full spectrum from Seed through to late- stage / pre-IPO. The payments sector bucks the trend on IPOs.
Stock Exchanges / Clearing Houses / Trading Venues
Cautious deployment of M&A war chests while concerns relating to IPO and equity market trading buoyancy continue.
Brokers / Corporate Finance
Mid-market investment banks consolidate at the fastest rate yet— Panmure Gordon & Liberum, Redburn (Europe) & Atlantic Equities and Cenkos Securities & FinnCap Group mergers reshape the City skyline.
Consumer Finance
Inflexion point arrives for UK & European consumer lending. The strong will survive as BNPL and POS finance become the norm for e-commerce.
Specialty Finance / Marketplace Lending
Consolidation fever grips non-bank lenders and banks alike—SME lending, revenue-based finance and PropFinance at its core.
