A total of 3,231 deals (comprising mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity and venture financing deals) were announced in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region during the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, which was a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 12.2% compared to the 3,681 deals announced during the same period in the previous year, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “All regions across the globe experienced a decline in deals volume during Q1 2024 amid challenging and uncertain market conditions, and the APAC region is not an exception to this global trend. However, one notable fact is that the decline experienced in the APAC region was relatively lesser compared to all other regions.”

For instance, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and South and Central America witnessed a decline in deals volume by 24.3%, 20.6%, 18.7%, and 39.8%, respectively, during Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023. These declines are higher compared to the deals volume decline experienced in the APAC region during the quarter.

Bose adds: “The decline in APAC is driven by the subdued deal activity experienced in several key markets within the region.”

Key APAC markets including China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia registered YoY decline in deals volume by 18.8%, 8.5%, 5.2%, 1.8%, 21.1%, 24%, 20.8%, and 21.3%, respectively, during Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023. Meanwhile, India and Thailand witnessed some improvement in deal activity.