M&A challenges for European asset managers 'often outweigh' benefits

M&A challenges for European asset managers 'often outweigh' benefits, according to Morningstar's just published report on consolidation in the European asset management industry.

Monika Calay, director of UK manager research at Morningstar said: “The European asset management industry faces growing competitive pressure, including from large, scale-driven US firms. While high-profile transactions, such as BNP Paribas' acquisition of AXA Investment Managers, and Natixis Investment Managers' planned merger with Generali Investments, might create the impression of accelerated consolidation in asset management, our analysis of M&A activity among Europe’s leading asset managers tells a different story.

Consolidation in Europe remains limited, with most firms favouring organic growth – expanding product offerings, capabilities, and operational efficiency – over M&A.

“Where firms have pursued M&A, our research shows that this hasn’t consistently delivered significant improvements in investment performance or cost savings for investors. Pricing pressure – especially in passive products – remains intense across all strategies, with fee convergence driven more by market forces than by consolidation.

“Looking ahead, successful asset managers are likely to focus on innovation, digital transformation, and personalised, tech-driven solutions over scale. Selective consolidation may continue, but agile, client-focused growth strategies are likely better positioned to shape the industry's future.”

The report identified three distinct growth strategies: Organic Growers (55 firms), Consolidators (28 firms), and Opportunistic Acquirers (16 firms). This distribution showed that while a substantial portion engage in M&A activity, the majority of top European asset managers still prioritize organic growth over acquisitions.

Currently, most M&A activity consists of smaller bolt-on transactions, with larger transformative deals remaining rare. Hence, the actual pace of consolidation has been measured and opportunistic.

Asset managers pursue M&A to achieve economies of scale, spreading technology and compliance costs across a larger asset base. Acquisitions provide immediate access to new markets and client segments without the lengthy process of organic development.

Firms also use M&A to rapidly acquire specialized investment capabilities, particularly in alternatives and emerging areas like sustainable investing. Finally, consolidation helps firms position themselves as comprehensive solution providers during a period when institutional investors and distributors are narrowing their roster of asset-management relationships.

That said, the report further pointed out that the benefits of consolidation touted by dealmakers are often hard to realize in practice, with various stakeholders—shareholders, clients, and employees—potentially experiencing different outcomes from the same transaction, as consolidation presents five critical integration challenges: cultural misalignment, leadership complexity, talent exodus, product rationalization risks, and scale disadvantages that may compromise performance.

These challenges frequently distract senior leaders and investment staff from their primary responsibility of generating returns for clients and fund holders, explaining Morningstar analysts' cautious stance when evaluating firms undergoing significant organizational change.

Morningstar analysts have more often assigned analyst-driven Morningstar Parent Pillar ratings of High or Above Average to Organic Growers compared with Consolidators. This pattern reflects that Organic Growers typically exhibit more fundholder-friendly practices and stronger investment cultures than firms engaged in frequent M&A activity.

Its analysis of three major European asset-management mergers further indicated that consolidation benefits often remain elusive even for corporate shareholders. While Amundi maintained positive flows post-merger, Janus Henderson and Aberdeen experienced sustained outflows and later impaired merger goodwill. None achieved meaningful profitability improvements. Successful M&A requires strategic alignment with economic moats, appropriate deal pricing, and consistent execution—considerations that should be weighed carefully against internal investment alternatives.

Looking at investment performance across the broader industry, its analysis found no meaningful differences between Organic Growers, Consolidators, or Opportunistic Acquirers. We examined how many actively managed funds both survived and outperformed comparable passive alternatives over the past five years, starting in 2019. Across all strategic groups, the results were broadly similar—funds from each cohort delivered comparable outcomes in both equity and fixed-income categories. This suggests that M&A activity is not significantly related to fund performance outcomes for investors, though the specific impact of consolidation remains difficult to isolate from other factors affecting performance.

Among Europe’s 100 largest asset managers, the presumed cost efficiencies of consolidation do not appear to consistently translate into lower fees for investors across all product categories. A firm's market positioning, value proposition, and product mix appear to influence fee structures more strongly than whether it grows through acquisitions or organically.

Organic Growers charge higher fees for active European funds but appear to charge lower fees globally—a pattern heavily skewed by Vanguard's influence. As Vanguard holds most of its assets in the US market and maintains exceptionally low asset-weighted fees across its passive and active offerings, its inclusion significantly distorts industrywide fee comparisons.

Meanwhile, passive fees converge across all strategic cohorts regardless of consolidation activity, suggesting that the relentless competition in a commoditized market affects pricing more than whether firms grow through acquisitions or organically.