A Review of Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions in APEC

In parallel with global trends, cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have increased dramatically in the APEC economies especially since the mid 1990s. The rapid increase in cross-border M&As in the world in general and in the APEC economies in particular is driven by a combination of factors, including the liberalisation of trade and investment regimes, the deregulation of the services sector, the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, and the relaxation of controls over cross-border M&As. The role of APEC developing economies in cross-border M&As has been increasing, especially since the late 1990s.