Simpson Thacher published its annual report on Global Merger Regulation in 2025/26: Turbulence and Transformation, which was also highlighted in the Financial Times. Antitrust enforcement has become more politicized, with shifting priorities driven by leadership changes in the U.S., UK, and EU. While merger control has leaned toward business-friendly policies in recent years, global FDI screening is expanding, with new regimes and increased scrutiny reflecting growing government control over foreign investment and critical sectors. Authors Antonio Bavasso, Josh Buckland, Peter Guryan, Preston Miller, Sara Razi, Mark Skerry and Sarah Chaudhuri, provide their analysis of the antitrust and foreign investment regulatory environment in the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
Our key themes from the past year and predictions for 2026 include:
- Agency Turbulence as Antitrust Leadership is Reshaped
- The Politicization of Antitrust: When Politics Meet Merger Control
- Merger Control Under Trump 2.0: The Return of Settlements
- No Case Blocked in Europe, but Overall Intervention Rate in Line with 2024
- The UK CMA’s Business-Friendly Turn
- Antitrust Remedies – Behavioral Solutions: From Rhetoric to Reality?
- From CFIUS to State Capitols: The Multiprong Defense of U.S. Investment Security
- UK FDI: Investment Screening in Full Force
- EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation: Enforcement Takes Shape Alongside EU Member State FDI
- Global Merger Control & FDI Landscape
To read the full report, please
click here.