East China’s financial hub Shanghai is accelerating its rise as a global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) center, highlighted by the successful hosting of the 2025 Mergers and Acquisitions Finance Conference, which brought together major industry stakeholders from across China.
The conference coincided with the first anniversary of Shanghai’s three-year action plan supporting M&A activity among listed companies, underscoring the city’s growing influence in both the scale and quality of domestic and cross-border M&A transactions.
Yangtze River Delta Emerges as China’s M&A Powerhouse
At the event, the China M&A Composite Index (2025) made its official debut, revealing that Shanghai and the wider Yangtze River Delta region including Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces accounted for around 45% of China’s total M&A deals between October 2024 and September 2025.
In value terms, transactions from the region represented nearly 60% of the national total, positioning the delta as one of the strongest engines driving China’s M&A market growth.
New M&A Alliance Targets Trillion-Yuan Deals
A major highlight of the conference was the launch of a strategic M&A alliance formed by Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD Bank), China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co., Ltd., and Guotai Haitong Securities.
The alliance unveiled an ambitious action plan aiming to facilitate:
- Over 1.2 trillion yuan in M&A transactions nationwide
- More than 400 billion yuan in Shanghai alone
- Support for 1,200+ corporate clients between 2025 and 2027
SPD Bank Strengthens Leadership in M&A Financing
As a co-host of the conference, SPD Bank reinforced its position as a leading player in China’s M&A financing ecosystem. The bank reported:
- Over 100 billion yuan in M&A lending issued in 2025 so far
- Outstanding M&A loans exceeding 240 billion yuan
The lender aims to become the preferred financing partner for companies pursuing mergers, acquisitions and restructuring opportunities.
Boosting Shanghai’s Global Financial Center Ambitions
The conference was jointly organized by Xinhua News Agency Shanghai Bureau and China Economic Information Service Shanghai Headquarters, with a focus on invigorating M&A financing and strengthening Shanghai’s role as an international financial center.
The newly launched China M&A Composite Index integrates data from capital markets and equity exchanges to track market activity, efficiency, environment and effectiveness. It is expected to serve as a key benchmark for assessing trends and performance in China’s rapidly evolving M&A landscape.