Latin America M&A Deals Dip, But Total Value Surges 13%

The Latin American transactional market recorded a total of 2,656 mergers and acquisitions (M&A) through November, including both announced and closed deals. While the number of transactions fell slightly by 3%, the aggregate value of completed operations rose to US$95.976 billion (MX$1.7 trillion), marking a 13% increase compared to the same period last year, according to a report by TTR Data and Datasite.

In November alone, the region saw 167 M&A deals valued at US$5.449 billion.

Regional Performance Snapshot

The M&A landscape varied widely across countries, with only Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia registering positive growth in capital mobilized:

• Brazil: 1,644 transactions (+6%) with US$45.862 billion in capital mobilized (+2% YoY).

• Mexico: 268 transactions (-21%) but a 76% increase in capital mobilized, totaling US$28.108 billion.

• Colombia: 240 transactions (-15%) with a slight 1% increase in capital mobilized (US$6.590 billion).

• Chile: 289 deals (-17%) with a 55% decline in value (US$6.010 billion).

• Argentina: 220 deals (+3%) with a 37% decrease in capital mobilized (US$5.423 billion).

• Peru: 129 transactions (-23%) with a 61% drop in value (US$1.879 billion).

Cross-Border Activity and Sector Trends

North American companies were the most active strategic investors in Latin America, completing 392 cross-border M&A transactions, followed by European companies with 343 deals. In contrast, Latin American companies completed 82 transactions in Europe and 75 in North America.

Investment Segments:

• Private Equity: 147 transactions (-22%) with capital mobilized up 41%, totaling US$8.849 billion.

• Venture Capital: 485 deals (-18%) with value down 10%, reaching US$4.432 billion.

• Asset Acquisitions: 509 deals (+2%) with value up 6%, totaling US$15.710 billion.