Analysis

Top 50 Brokers: Best strategic fit will win the day in broking M&A

By Olly Laughton-Scott and John Wepler 2026-01-02T08:00:00

jigsaw puzzle

As overseas buyers and private equity investors continue to influence the consolidation of UK and European brokers, cultural and strategic fit may be getting lost in the translation

Contributing to economic expansion over the last 25 years has been a wave of consolidation that started in the US. This has now swept across the Atlantic Ocean and into the UK and Europe.

Driving this wave has been the influential force of private equity (PE) or PE-backed buyers – these investors have been behind nearly 70% of all insurance broker M&A transactions regarding firms worth £25m or more in Europe.

But this was not always the case.

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