UK IFA deal numbers hit 'new peak' in 2025

Deals rose from 50 to 133 between 2020 and 2025

Sophia Panayi
clock • 4 min read

UK IFA mergers and acquisitions activity has increased significantly between 2020 and 2025with the number of deals reaching a ‘new peak’ of 133, according to the latest UK IFA M&A Update report from Heligan Corporate Finance.

Deals rose from around 50 in 2020, to more than 115 in 2022 and reached a new peak of 133 in 2025. Heligan Corporate Finance believe "well-capitalised" buyers, particularly private equity-backed consolidators and vertically integrated wealth advisers, have played an increasingly significant role in driving transaction activity and building national advice platforms.  Despite this consolidation, the firm continued, the market remains "highly fragmented", with thousands of owner-managed practices across the UK, making it "well suited" to buy-and-build acquisition strategies. Factors ...

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