Deal activity in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region registered a modest contraction in the first 10 months of 2025. The total number deals (comprising mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity and venture financing deals) announced in the APAC region declined by around 4% during January-October 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The trend reflects mixed dynamics: a downshift in both M&A and venture financing activity, uneven country-level performance, and pockets of resilience that are reshaping the APAC deal landscape.”
M&A activity edged lower, with the deal volume posting a decline of roughly 2% year-on-year (YoY) during January-October 2025. While M&A remains the largest component of regional deal flow, its slight retreat signals a cautious corporate environment as buyers weigh valuations and macroeconomic uncertainty.
Venture financing experienced a more pronounced fall, decreasing by about 5% YoY. The softer trend suggests risk appetite among investors has cooled, with fewer financings and a selective focus on promising businesses. Private equity volumes have also contracted sharply, down by around 21%.
An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database revealed that country-level trends within the APAC region remained mixed, with several markets recording declines, while few others experienced increases.
South Korea saw a steep fall in deal volumes of around 26% whereas Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Thailand recorded contraction of about 9%, 16%, 19%, 9%, 9% and 21%, respectively. Meanwhile, China experienced a modest decline of 1% YoY.
Conversely, India and Japan were notable bright spots: India’s deal activity expanded by around 4% YoY and Japan also grew by about 4%, together offsetting weakness experienced in other markets within the region.
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
