M&A

Mergers and acquisitions, commonly shortened to M&A, describe a broad set of transactions through which companies or asset portfolios combine under common ownership. In the insurance sector, these transactions include mergers, outright acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers, asset purchases, and management-led buyouts. Each structure serves a different strategic or financial purpose, depending on scale, regulation, and capital objectives.

The term M&A also applies to the specialised teams within banks, advisory firms, and insurers that structure, negotiate, and execute these transactions. In an insurance merger, both companies typically maintain legal parity at the outset. Their boards approve the transaction, after which shareholders vote on the proposed combination. The process often results in a new or restructured corporate entity, with governance and ownership shared according to agreed terms.