2026 Dechert PE Outlook Report: Signs of a Gradual Thaw

PE buyout value by sector in EMEA (US$ million), Q1-Q3 2025 vs. Q1-Q3 2024

PMB ranks as the second largest sector by value and has posted a significant increase year-on-year, climbing from US$10.9 billion in Q1-Q3 2024 to US$45.1 billion over the same period in 2025. PMB deal value was boosted by a standout funding round in which ARCHIMED joined longstanding shareholders in animal healthcare group Ceva Santé Animale that valued the business at more than €9 billion (US$10.5 billion). The sector has also delivered a series of exits for sponsors, including the IPOs of Swedish medical services business Asker Healthcare Group by Nalka Invest and Polish laboratory operator Diagnostyka by MidEuropa Partners. The industrials and chemicals sector has been another strong area for buyout deal flow, ranking as the third largest sector by value. Deal value for the first three quarters of 2025 (YTD) came in at US$40.4 billion, almost double the US$18.5 billion recorded for the corresponding period in 2024. KKR’s £4.8 billion (US$6.4 billion) take-private of UK-listed precision instrumentation provider Spectris was one of the deal highlights in the sector. European industrial companies have been indirect beneficiaries of the AI boom, producing a series of essential components required for the construction of data centers. European industrial companies supplying the data center industry have seen their market capitalizations climb by more than €150 billion (US$175 billion) since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, according to the FT. The Spectris deal is also an example of a series of European take-privates backed by financial sponsors, who have seen an opportunity to acquire listed European companies, which often trade at a discount to their U.S. peers, at attractive entry multiples. Outlook Looking ahead to 2026, EMEA sponsors will be working to build on the increase in deal value observed so far in 2025 and sustain a gradual recovery in deployment and exits. The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as a reframed relationship between with Europe and the U.S., present ongoing headwinds, but surging investment in AI, lower interest rates and more clarity on future U.S. trading arrangements will encourage dealmaking. EMEA M&A could also receive a boost as some investors consider diversifying their U.S. portfolios and building more exposure to European markets. “Sponsors and management teams are preparing businesses for sale. There has been a feeling for a few years that the M&A window will reopen, only for another degree of uncertainty to put deals on hold. I feel like the market is moving through that and finding ways to get deals done,” Tomlinson says.

TMT

ș62,955

ș74,518

PhǸrmǸ, MȃdicǸl & Biotȃch

ș45,084

ș10,895

IndustriǸls & ChȃmicǸls

ș40,423

ș18,469

Businȃss Sȃrvicȃs

ș28,679

ș20,683

FinǸnciǸl Sȃrvicȃs

ș22,486 ș23,274

EnȃrȌy, MininȌ & Utilitiȃs

ș17,678 ș17,580

Consumȃr

ș12,122

ș20,041

RȃǸl EstǸtȃ

ș8,086 ș7,385

Lȃisurȃ

ș7,902

ș4,712

TrǸnsportǸtion

ș4,040

ș6,928

Construction

ș2,880

ș9,075

Dȃfȃnsȃ

ș731 ș171

Govȃrnmȃnt

Othȃr ș259 ș20 ș338 ș11

AȌriculturȃ

ș37

ș650

Q1-Q3 2025 Q1-Q3 2024

31

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