Ant's IPO, which would have been world’s largest ever, now seen unlikely to go ahead in the short-term although wider impact on sentiment won’t last long, says one analyst.

FinanceAsia welcomes the participation of Asia-Pacific financial professionals on the future of regional M&A.

Business leaders have also been taking more time to complete deals, but experts remain hopeful that corporate activities will pick up sooner or later.

There is a growing hunger amongst Asia-Pacific executives for M&A deals as businesses seek to capitalise on market disruptions wrought by ongoing social and trade tensions.

Investment sentiment weakened in Taiwan this year amid China-US trade war and concerns of a global recession.

China’s biggest selfie-app operator pays $342 million to venture into video gaming in the face of rapidly changing consumer trends and a declining share price.

Trade tensions and failed deals are preying on the minds of FinanceAsia’s readers as they ponder the M&A landscape for the year ahead.

Troubles around domestic economy and regional trade relations have led to a sharp decline in corporate restructuring and strategic investment deals.

Tan will help build FWD, the insurance arm of Richard Li’s Pacific Century Group, into a regional platform.

The Hong Kong exchange’s formula of failure – emphasising on the financial merits while neglecting London’s concerns over corporate governance.