Welcome to the July 2026 edition of It's Public
Your go-to publication and podcast for Australian public M&A.
The first half of 2026 has shown that uncertainty is no longer slowing dealmakers down - it is reshaping how transactions are structured, negotiated and executed. From geopolitical volatility and evolving foreign investment settings to renewed global deal activity and innovation, the market is adapting to a more complex operating environment.
In this edition, we explore the forces influencing Australian public M&A, including the changing role of takeover regulation, the expanding tax considerations for foreign investors, and what the SpaceX IPO could mean for the future of Australia’s capital markets.
In this edition:
- Despite geopolitical volatility, dealmakers keep moving
- Takeovers are back: lessons learned from recent panel litigation
- Back, but selective: global and cross-border M&A
- The widening tax net: foreign resident CGT reform and Australian public M&A
- SpaceX IPO: will it put a rocket under the Australian IPO market?
In This Edition
Takeovers are back: Lessons learned from recent Panel litigation
Like the premature obituary of Mark Twain, some M&A practitioners and commentators have lamented the apparent death of the takeover.
27 July 2026
Back, but selective: global and cross-border M&A
If you had to sum up the global M&A market in mid-2026 in a single phrase, it would be ‘back, but selective’.
27 July 2026
Despite geopolitical volatility, dealmakers keep moving
If the first half of 2026 was expected to be defined by geopolitical uncertainty, the Australian M&A market told a different story.
27 July 2026
The widening tax net: foreign resident CGT reform and Australian public M&A
Under the foreign resident capital gains tax (CGT) regime, capital gains and losses made by foreign residents holding assets on capital account are disregarded unless the CGT event happens in relation to assets that are taxable Australian property (TAP).
27 July 2026
SpaceX – will it put a rocket under the Australian IPO market?
The Australian component of the SpaceX IPO proved 3 things. But will the deal impact sentiment here in Australia and put a rocket under the local IPO market?
27 July 2026
Public M&A Market on a Page - June 2026
An overview of the last 6 months on the public M&A Market.
27 July 2026
EXPLORE OUR M&A PUBLICATION SUITE
A reminder, It’s Public supersedes M&A in the City, part of a refreshed suite of Mallesons M&A and corporate focussed publications, with clear, concise titles designed to help our readers easily identify the subjects which are interesting and important to them - and so you know it comes from Mallesons. Alongside this publication, you can access:
- In Private – for all things Private Capital
- OnBoard – our corporate governance quarterly newsletter
- At Work - topical insights from our Employment law team.
