As demand for insight into the opaque corners of the financial world accelerates, buyers are increasingly zeroing in on middle-market private market data providers, where attorneys say consolidation is poised to intensify. After a string of large private-market data deals in recent years, attorneys told Law360 they anticipate increased activity both at the top of the market and among middle- and lower-market players. This expectation comes as private markets continue to attract investor capital and the information gap between public and private companies widens, driving demand for data to help value assets and price deals. "I would expect acquisitions of private-market data providers to accelerate," said Robert Masella, co-chair of Goodwin's Public M&A practice, to Law360. "Agile buyers can leverage their own networks to integrate these offerings into their broader offerings and provide customers with deep data and analytics."