Chinese and Silicon Valley deals set to keep M&A activity high in fintech, e-commerce and other tech industries
A mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory firm has predicted a bright future for activity in the fintech, automotive technology and e-commerce industries.
In a series of reports, Hampleton Partners has found M&A activity in these areas has been “growing substantially” over the last 30 months.
And movement from China and Silicon Valley is predicted to keep the deal volume high.
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Hampleton has also examined M&A in consumer apps, digital marketing, enterprise software, IT services and high-tech industrials.
And it found that activity for technology companies in many of the sectors has accelerated in the last six months.
It also noted that European acquisition targets are in some cases commanding “Silicon Valley-level premiums”.
Miro Parizek, Hampleton’s principal partner, said: “Last year was record breaking in technology industry M&A in both volume and value, and I am certain both will remain high for quite a while for many reasons.
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“Chinese and other Asian buyers continue increasing their deal activity. Silicon Valley giants are filling gaps with innovative technology upstarts from around the world.
"[Private equity] funds continue raising hundreds of billions for technology investments. And traditional industrial companies, such as General Motors, the Royal Mail and many others are betting big on technology.”
Parizek also suggested that “disruptive technologies”, like the internet of things and virtual reality, will “continue bringing more players into the mix”.