The Takeovers Panel says it's busier now than at any time in the past four years.
At a Parliamentary commerce select committee meeting on Wednesday, the panel's chief executive Margaret Bearsley told MPs six takeover bids are underway at present.
She said takeover activity had increased significantly in the last six months, after a relatively quiet couple of years.
"So the way transactions are going at this present point in time are very like they were back in 2007 and that pick up occurred effectively from about November."