Unveiling the influence of host-country religiosity on the completion of cross-border merger and acquisition deals

While international business (IB) literature highlights the impact of religious distance on cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CBMAs), limited research has examined how host-country religiosity, defined as the popularity and devoutness of religious beliefs, affects the completion of inward CBMA deals. Using a propensity score matching (PSM) approach and analyzing 4290 CBMA transactions across 105 host countries from 1999 to 2019, we find that higher levels of host-country religiosity reduce the likelihood of CBMA deal completion, independent of religious distance. We further identify increased distrust toward foreign acquirers as a key mediating mechanism. However, a stage-by-stage acquisition strategy, rather than a one-off, full-control approach, mitigates the negative impact of religiosity on deal completion. Our findings contribute to CBMA research by positioning host-country religiosity as a critical determinant of deal outcomes, revealing social trust as a mediating factor, and highlighting the moderating role of acquisition structuring.