Ireland: M&A/Private Equity

A leading Irish law firm's Competition and Regulated Markets Group provides comprehensive merger control advisory services, handling complex cases before the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and European Commission. The team also navigates Ireland's foreign direct investment screening regime, assisting international investors and Irish businesses with national security and public order considerations in cross-border transactions.

This monthly legal update from William Fry explores critical developments across technology regulation, AI transparency obligations, and commercial litigation frameworks. The edition examines emerging challenges in data centre connectivity, merger control threshold changes, and the evolving landscape of warranty insurance in M&A transactions, while addressing novel legal arguments in nervous shock claims and regulatory consultations on crypto-asset markets.

Arthur Cox's Life Sciences Outlook 2026 examines critical regulatory developments and strategic opportunities shaping Ireland's life sciences sector. The publication explores Ireland's EU Council Presidency and its potential impact on advancing key legislative initiatives including the Biotech Act I and medical device reforms. Industry leaders will find comprehensive analysis spanning pharmaceutical compliance, medtech regulation, data governance, M&A activity, and environmental considerations.

The EU Listing Act introduces significant reforms to the Market Abuse Regulation, fundamentally changing how issuers assess disclosure obligations for protracted processes and delayed announcements. These changes, effective from June 2026, shift the analytical framework from intermediate step disclosure to final event triggers, while introducing a revised test for delaying disclosure that replaces the previous "not misleading" standard with an objective benchmark linked to prior public communications.

The Irish State is poised to exit its final banking shareholding after 17 years, as BAWAG PSK moves to acquire Permanent TSB Group Holdings plc in a €1.6 billion transaction. William Fry, which has guided the Department of Finance through the privatization of Ireland's banking sector since 2015, is once again advising on this landmark deal that will generate approximately €931 million in proceeds for the State.

This report examines how deal activity in the life sciences and healthcare sector performed during 2025, highlighting key trends, significant transactions and emerging themes shaping the market. The report also looks ahead to 2026, considering the factors likely to influence M&A activity in Ireland in the year ahead.

There were 90 transactions notified to the CCPC in 2025, up from 82 in 2024 and 68 in 2023, marking a continued upward trajectory in the number of deals being notified to the CCPC.

On 6 January 2025, Ireland’s new foreign direct investment screening regime commenced, which enabled the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (“Department”) to review, for the first time, transactions involving foreign investment that may impact on security or public order in Ireland, through mandatory notification requirements or a ‘call-in’ power.

As we start a new year, we present a look back at the work, legal developments and team growth that kept our Tax Group busy in 2025.