About 42% of business leaders in Southeast Asia plan M&A deals in next year: study

Companies in the region may deploy aggressive capital for market share, Deloitte found.

Forty-two percent of business leaders in Southeast Asia plan to actively pursue deals in the next year, with 61% planning to do so in the next three years, reflecting the rise in business appetite in M&A and capital decisions, a study showed.

Companies in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region are preparing to deploy capital offensively through M&A, partnerships, and bold plays for market share, Deloitte said in its APEC CEO Survey 2025.

In the TMT industry, company leaders that will potentially be involved in deal-making increased to 57% from 25%, it added.

Deal appetite is strongest in the ER&I and LSHC industries, where 65% and 63% of respondents are planning M&A activities, the study found.

Meanwhile, a fifth of business leaders expect capital to have easier access this year compared to the 55% over the next three years.

Smaller and mid-sized businesses are upbeat about a gradual easing in access to capital, whilst 42% of the largest firms share that optimism, perhaps through their broader exposure to macroeconomic turbulence, reckoned Deloitte.

Amongst regions, Latin America business leaders (71%) showed the most optimism in M&A growth in the next three years, followed by Northeast Asia (64%), Southeast Asia (61%), and North America (54%).

The survey gathered insights from 1,252 senior APEC business leaders across 18 economies in the multinational, regional enterprise, and private firms. Respondents included more than 270 leaders in Southeast Asia.