Record 48 RIA mergers and acquisitions took place in Q2

Record 48 RIA mergers and acquisitions took place in Q2
Consolidators were involved in 22 of the deals, says Echelon Partners.
JUL 17, 2018

A record 48 mergers and acquisitions took place among registered investment advisory firms in the second quarter, according to Echelon Partners. This was only the second time in five years that second-quarter M&A activity topped the usually busier first quarter. The number of deals in the second quarter was also higher than the 2017 quarterly average of 42 deals. Echelon, in a release, said that the industry is on pace to record 189 total deals for the full year of 2018. Average deal size during the second quarter was $1.3 billion, an increase of 34% from 2017's $1.0 billion average deal size. Echelon also noted that well-capitalized strategic buyers and consolidators accounted for 46% of RIA purchases in the quarter, consummating 22 deals.

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