Outbound M&As roar back in 2025

Indian firms are looking to grow faster by tapping new markets

- MAHESH NAYAK

INDIA'S M&A LANDSCAPE was dominated by inbound deals in 2025, but a quieter, emerging shift this year has been Indian companies increasingly looking outward.

Overseas acquisitions have accounted for over a fourth of the total deal market in 2025 compared with just 10% in 2023 and about 20% last year.

The appetite for overseas growth coincides with high-quality businesses in Europe and part of the US selling out as family-owned firms face succession gaps, sponsor-owned assets near exit cycles, and industrial companies get squeezed by geopolitical shocks.

Indian buyers, observers say, are stepping into a window of opportunity that didn't exist ten years ago. The jump from $18.8 billion in outbound deal value in 2024 to $24.8 billion year-to-date (YTD) in 2025 highlights how India's top businesses are cashing in on the opportunity.

Experts point out that for the first time in decades, Indian companies are approaching outbound M&A not as opportunistic buyers, but as confident global players.

"THE WORLD HAS begun to take Indian corporates seriously and that changes the terms at the negotiation table," a senior investment banker observed.