A near-$9 billion technology tie-up that is by far the biggest acquisition by a UK company since the Brexit vote has also proved a landmark for the team at stockbroker Numis, for which the deal marks its largest-ever M&A advisory mandate.

Micro Focus International, a FTSE 100-listed UK software company with a £4.5 billion market capitalisation, said on September 7 that it had struck an agreement with Hewlett Packard Enterprises to acquire its HPE Software subsidiary in a cash-and-share deal valued at $8.8 billion.