Global M&A Dealmakers See Strategic Opportunities in 2026: Sentiment Report
"Today’s market landscape presents both formidable challenges and extraordinary opportunities for those prepared to navigate uncertainty with strategic precision," said
Key findings from the report include:
- 45% expect to see increased M&A and financing activity over the next six months, while 34% expect activity to lag in H1 2026.
- While deal delays and the challenges of deploying dry powder continue to proliferate, a significant majority of respondents expect postponed transactions to restart within 12 months.
- Increased cost of capital is the most cited reason behind deal delays, followed by market volatility, regulatory uncertainty and geopolitical risk.
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Middle-market deals are drawing most interest, with nearly half of the M&A respondents expecting to undertake transactions under
USD 2 billion . Only 36% expect to work on deals aboveUSD 10 billion . - Private equity firms are favoring recession-proof sectors, with 53% of respondents expecting to deploy dry powder in sectors such as Healthcare and Utilities. Private credit also continues to draw interest (43%), as does the Defense sector (41%).
The report also highlights dealmaker priorities in the current environment:
- 56% are making investments to increase operational efficiency, including cloud computing and AI.
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49% are expanding into new geographical markets. Most expect activity to increase in
Europe . - Dealmakers are focused on completing transactions before regulatory and tax conditions tighten. Other drivers of near-term M&A and financing activity include supply chain optimization, streamlining the organization and increasing market share.
Click here to read the full report.
SS&C Intralinks is a pioneer of the virtual data room, delivering AI-enabled services across the entire deal lifecycle, including deal marketing, deal prep, due diligence, insights and post-merger integration. Intralinks technology enables and secures the flow of information by facilitating M&A, capital raising and investor reporting. SS&C Intralinks has executed more than
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