Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley top PE M&A league table through Q3 2023

Wells Fargo Securities LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley were the top financial advisers on the largest global private equity and venture capital deals in the first three quarters of 2023, with five transactions each.

In terms of total deal credit from January to September, Wells Fargo led the pack with about $38.89 billion. J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley logged deal credits of approximately $32.76 billion and $19.71 billion, respectively.

Wells Fargo is the buy-side adviser on GTCR LLC's pending acquisition of a 55% stake in payment processing solutions provider WorldPay (UK) Ltd. for $12.70 billion.

Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan advised the buyers in the roughly $10.45 billion acquisition of experience management software company Qualtrics International Inc. by Silver Lake Technology Management LLC and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan advised the investor group that is in the process of acquiring software company New Relic Inc. for about $6.60 billion.

– Download a spreadsheet with data featured in this report. – Check out the second-quarter private equity league table. – Read some of the day's top private equity news and insights from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Legal adviser ranking

Kirkland & Ellis LLP ranked first among legal advisers on the biggest global private equity deals in 2023 through the third quarter. The firm advised on nine deals with deal credit totaling about $45.12 billion.

Aside from the WorldPay deal, Kirkland & Ellis also advised on the $7.37 billion acquisition of biopharmaceutical company Syneos Health Inc. by a consortium including Veritas Capital Fund Management LLC and Patient Square Capital LP.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Clifford Chance LLP came in second with six private equity deals each.