Over the last five years in Italy about 152 thousand companies have changed ownership, confirming a surprisingly lively market. On average, every year 30 thousand companies purchased, more than 80 per day. There are approximately 15 million Italians who hold company shares, with a total value exceeding 1.600 trillion euros. This was revealed by a Research joint of Verum Partners, a group active in supporting SMEs, and Startex AI, an artificial intelligence platform for scouting and deal sourcing in M&A transactions, based on data from the Bank of Italy, Movimprese-Unioncamere, AIFI, the National Council of Notaries, and Bain & Company.
A partnership to innovate the SME market
The collaboration between Verum Finance-Mediazione Creditizia and Startex AI aims to make the world of mergers and acquisitions in the so-called Lower Middle Market, that is, small and medium-sized Italian enterprises. Fabrizio Small, CEO of Verum Partners, emphasizes that “entrepreneurs who decide to sell their business have an innovative channel at their disposal and can count on all the support services offered by Verum Partners.” Nicholas Joswig, CEO and co-founder of Startex AI, adds: "Our platform helps reduce time and information asymmetries. With Verum, we facilitate financial support for operations. The goal is to generate more transactions and make them faster and fairer, creating value for entrepreneurs, investors, and the local community."
Italy's SMEs and their impact on the economy
At the end of September 2025, there were almost 5,9 million active businesses, one for every ten inhabitants, with a net growth of approximately 90 thousand units in the last five years. pmi continue to be the beating heart of theItalian economy. Those with turnover between 5 and 50 million euros are over 200 thousand and generate a total of more than 1.400 billion euros, equal to 70% of the total. Even in the operations of M&A, SMEs are protagonistOver 80% of mergers and acquisitions involved companies with revenues of less than €50 million, for a total of 412 acquired companies and overall investments of over €22,6 billion from 2020 to 2024.
Who buys companies and where
The survey shows that the most buyers are men, approximately 67%, while women participate in approximately one-third of the transactions. In 2024, two-thirds of buyers had less than 45 years, and surprisingly a third were under 35, confirming that young people are taking the reins of the market. Most of the operations are concentrated in the North part, with the Centre at 23% and the South and Islands at 22%. disposals they do not only concern complete companies: more than half of them take place through company shares or stocksSmall investors, private equity funds, and family businesses often struggle to find the right match, and this is precisely where Startex AI aims to make a difference by facilitating the matching of supply and demand.
Investments in SMEs and M&A trends
Over the last five years the investments in M&A transactions They followed a fluctuating trend, with SMEs representing a significant share. From 2020 to 2024, total investments in SMEs exceeded €22 billion. The year of greatest growth was 2022, with over €6 billion allocated to SME acquisitions, while 2024 saw approximately €3,2 billion invested. SME disposals in the five-year period exceeded 400, confirming the continued interest in small and medium-sized enterprises.
Sales of companies and company shares
Le business sales They maintained significant numbers: 26.372 businesses were sold in 2020, 29.837 in 2021, and 31.143 in 2022, reaching 32.448 in 2024, for a five-year total of over 151 transactions. Transactions involving shares and company stocks also remained very high, with nearly 586 transactions in five years.
Young entrepreneurs and territorial dynamism
The market for buying and selling companies in Italy shows a generational change interesting. The 18-35 age group represents a third of buyers, while most of the other buyers are between 36 and 45 years old. From a territorial point of view, the Northern Italy guide transactions, with a particular concentration in the North West, followed by the North East. The Centre records a lower share, while the South and Islands together represent approximately a fifth of the transactions.
Growth of new businesses
Despite the sales, the Italian business community continues to grow. Over the last five years, new businesses contributed to a net increase of nearly 90 active companies, confirming the resilience and vitality of the sector.
