The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region witnessed a 26.5% year-on-year (YoY) decline in deal activity during the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, following the global trend of economic uncertainties impacting deal activity. The decline was seen across all types of deals and major markets in the region, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
An analysis of GlobalData’s Financial Deals Database reveals that 3,549 deals* were announced in the APAC region during Q1 2023, compared to the 4,831 deals announced during Q1 of 2022.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Several markets within the APAC region, including China, India, Japan, and South Korea, experienced a decrease in deals volume during the quarter. The downturn in deal activity can be attributed to a range of factors, including geopolitical tensions, ongoing pandemic concerns, and economic uncertainties.”
Key APAC markets including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and New Zealand recorded decline in deals volume by 18.9%, 38%, 20.7%, 39.5%, 20.3%, 32.7%, 9.1%, 39.1%, 27.3% and 44.4%, respectively, in Q1 2023.
All the deal types under the coverage witnessed decline in deal activity during the quarter. The number of merger and acquisitions, private equity and venture financing deals in the APAC region declined by 16.1%, 30.8% and 34.1%, respectively, in Q1 2023 compared to Q1 2022.
However, the total deal volume rebounded by 21.3% in March 2023 after registering a month-on-month of decline of 9.4% in February 2023.
Bose concludes: “Although the deals volume for the APAC region declined YoY in Q1 2023, March showcased some improvement after previous months of decline, which could be seen as a positive sign. It will be interesting to see how the region performs in the coming months as the economic uncertainties persist and the pandemic situation evolves.”
*Comprising mergers & acquisitions, private equity, and venture financing deals
Also read: UBS top M&A financial adviser in APAC region for Q1 2023
