The Asia-Pacific (APAC) deal landscape (comprising mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity, and venture financing deals) exhibited modest expansion in the January-August 2025 period, underpinned by an increase in M&A activity and notable growth in some markets. Total deal volume across the region increased by around 1% during the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The growth, although modest, holds significance as it contrasts with the global trend wherein overall deal volume declined. In fact, APAC was the only region to buck that trend while all other regions suffered declines.”

An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database revealed that the trend across different deal types was a mixed bag in the region. M&A remained the primary growth engine, with deals count rising by around 5% year-on-year (YoY) during January-August 2025. However, that increase contrasts with venture financing, which saw around 3% contraction in deal volume. Meanwhile, private equity deal volume experienced a pronounced YoY decline of around 15%.

Bose adds: “Market dynamics were heterogeneous, pointing to varied performance across the region. The APAC deal landscape is demonstrating selective resilience, with some markets signaling renewed dealmaking while others experiencing decline.”

China and India both recorded expansions, with YoY increases of around 5% and 6%, respectively. Japan also showcased strong performance, with a notable increase of around 16% YoY in deal activity during January-August 2025.

Conversely, some APAC markets experienced contractions. The total number of deals announced in Australia, South Korea, and Singapore declined by around 6%, 22% and 12%, respectively, during January-August 2025 compared to January-August 2024.

Bose concludes: “The APAC region’s deal activity through August 2025 reflects a market in transition, with a cautious financing backdrop and steady momentum led by M&A and concentrated growth in several large markets.”

Note: Historic data may change in case some deals get added to previous months because of a delay in disclosure of information in the public domain