Morgan Stanley and Rothschild & Co dominate European M&A financial advisory in 2025

Morgan Stanley and Rothschild & Co have emerged as the top financial advisors for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Europe in 2025. GlobalData’s latest league table reveals that Morgan Stanley led in terms of deal value, while Rothschild & Co took the lead in transaction volume.

Throughout 2025, Morgan Stanley played a pivotal role in transactions totaling $109.5 billion, securing the top spot in the value chart. On the other hand, Rothschild & Co advised on 119 transactions, securing the lead in terms of volume.

Goldman Sachs followed closely behind Morgan Stanley in total deal value, participating in deals worth $100.3 billion. Barclays, JPMorgan, and Bank of America secured the next positions in the rankings with $53.5 billion, $53.3 billion, and $49.4 billion worth of advised deals, respectively.

In terms of transaction volume, Ernst & Young closely followed Rothschild & Co with 103 advised transactions. Additionally, PwC, Houlihan Lokey, and Deloitte made it to the top five with 100, 95, and 89 transactions, respectively.

GlobalData’s lead analyst, Aurojyoti Bose, highlighted that Morgan Stanley stood out as one of the few advisors to surpass the $100 billion mark in total deal value during 2025. With its involvement in 24 billion-dollar deals, Morgan Stanley’s presence in significant transactions played a crucial role in securing the top position by value. Despite ranking ninth in terms of volume, Morgan Stanley’s performance was noteworthy.

Meanwhile, Rothschild & Co, the top advisor by volume in 2024, successfully retained its leadership position in 2025 despite a decrease in the total number of deals advised. Despite a decline in the number of transactions, Rothschild & Co maintained its top spot by volume and secured the eighth position by value in 2025.

GlobalData’s league tables are compiled based on real-time tracking of numerous company and advisory firm websites, ensuring reliable and accurate data. A dedicated team of analysts continuously monitors these sources to collect detailed information on each deal, including the names of advisors involved.

To enhance data robustness, GlobalData also welcomes submissions of deals from leading advisors, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the M&A landscape in Europe.