In 2017, the European financial services sector has weathered monumental political uncertainty as events in Spain challenge its constitution and financial ecosystem, Italy attempts to scale its €349 billion debt mountain and the UK's vote to leave the EU "becomes real". The uncertainty has been compounded by the shifting sands of financial regulation and the unprecedented eruption of new financial technology which promises to revolutionise, but also threatens to disrupt, the business models of even the most sophisticated and well-capitalised businesses.
Whilst the path ahead perhaps remains a daunting prospect for some, one thing is clear—successful implementation of inorganic business transformation strategies is a key solution for remaining competitive and winning market share.
With this in mind, in this report we analyse the key European M&A trends in 2017 spanning the main financial services subsectors, and offer insight into the 2018 outlook for M&A in each:
- Banks
- State-aided banks
- Fintech
- Asset management
- Market infrastructure
- UK consumer credit
