Refinitiv H1 2022: Ellex is the leading M&A legal adviser in Eastern Europe

According to the results recently published by Refinitiv, Ellex leads the Eastern European M&A market by deal count in the Mid-market and the Small-cap market segments. Legal advisory legal tables represent data for the first half of 2022.

In addition, Ellex is the only Baltic law firm to be included in the Nordics tables in both segments ( mid-market and small-cap). It is a great recognition to be the highest-ranked Baltic law firm among the most reputable Nordic firms.

Some of our recent highlights in 2022 include advising:

• Novator Partners LLP on investing into Lithuanian cyber security firm Nord Security;
• Vercom on acquisition of 100% of shares in MailerLite, a Lithuanian company acting as a supplier of email communication tools for business customers;
• Skeleton Technologies, a technology leader in supercapacitor and energy storage, on raising 37.6 million euros of equity investments.

Announced league tables include all deals that were announced between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022 and of which Refinitiv was made aware. League tables include rank eligible mergers, acquisitions, repurchases, spin-offs, self-tenders, minority stake purchases and debt restructurings.

Mid-Market deal making down 15% to two-year low

Global mid-market M&A deals valued up to US$500 million (including undisclosed value deals), reached US$571.2 billion during the first half of 2022, a decrease of 15% compared to year-ago levels and the slowest opening six-month period for mid-market M&A since 2020. Mid-market transactions during the second quarter decreased 8% compared to the first quarter of this year. By number of deals, mid-market deal making reached nearly 26,600 deals during the first half of 2022, a 15% decrease compared to a year ago and a two-year low.

Small-Cap M&A deal making down 20%

Worldwide small-cap M&A deals valued up to US$50 million (including undisclosed value deals) reached US$101.4 billion during the first half of 2022, a decrease of 20% compared to a year ago and the slowest first half for small-cap M&A since 2020. Small-cap M&A during the second quarter of 2022 decreased 9% compared to the first quarter of this year, while the number of deals declined by 12% compared to this year`s opening quarter. By number of worldwide deals, small-cap deal making decreased 15% compared to the first half of 2021, hitting a two-year low.

More information on the latest global M&A market trends is available here:

Refinitiv Global Mid-Market M&A Review H1 2022

Refinitiv Global Small-Cap M&A Review H1 2022

Refinitiv rankings (formerly the Financial and Risk business of Thomson Reuters) are a recognition of the outstanding service provided by Ellex to its clients, which is based on our reputation and experience in the field built up over decades.

Ellex lawyers advise on a wide range of matters related to public and private M&A with a particular focus on complex, cross-border transactions. Our experts have advised on major deals locally and globally, both as independent advisors and by working closely with the best law firms in Europe and beyond. More information about related projects and experts in this field can be found here.