Global M&A hits record pace as dealmakers resume after summer break

Wall Street's dealmakers are back at their desks after the summer lull, and the numbers awaiting them are historic. Global mergers and acquisitions reached $3.19 trillion through the first seven months of 2026, up 36% year over year and within striking distance of the January-to-July record set in 2021, according to LSEG data. Bank of America ↘ 0.68% projects global deal value could surpass $6 trillion for the full year, driven by larger strategic transactions rather than a rise in deal count.mascience+2

The first half alone set records. LSEG reported $2.85 trillion in announced deals through June, up roughly 50% from the same period in 2025 and the highest first-half total since the firm began tracking data in 1980. That surge came despite a 9% decline in the number of transactions, underscoring a market defined by fewer but far larger bets. There were 48 mega-deals worth at least $10 billion each in the first half, totaling $1.3 trillion — more than double the year-earlier period, according to J.P. Morgan JPMorgan Chase & Co. ↘ 0.84% data.gulfbusiness+2

Bloomberg reported Tuesday that dealmakers are resuming their "record chase" after a summer breather, with major transactions landing in the days following Labor Day. PwC's mid-year outlook is more conservative, projecting global M&A value of approximately $4 trillion for the full year, which would still mark the strongest year since 2021.reuters+1

Middle Eastern Buyers Emerge as a Force

MENA acquirers completed 390 deals worth $46.7 billion in the first half, according to EY's latest regional M&A report. Outbound investment by regional buyers totaled roughly $25.5 billion across 119 deals, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia leading cross-border activity in technology, transportation, financial services, and energy.ey+3

Lukas Poensgen, co-head of EMEA M&A at Bank of America, told Gulf Business that "the recovery is being led by value rather than the number of transactions," adding that Middle Eastern buyers are winning international deals by pairing capital strength with superior funding plans. Interest in AI-related infrastructure — power generation, cooling systems, and data centers — is increasingly drawing Gulf capital into cross-border deals.gulfbusiness

Kenya Leads Africa Despite Continental Slowdown

In Africa, Kenya emerged as the top M&A market by deal value in the first half, recording $1.44 billion across 25 transactions, according to DealMakers AFRICA. Two banking deals accounted for about three-quarters of that total: Nedbank's proposed acquisition of a 66% stake in NCBA Group for approximately $855 million, and Absa Group's agreement to acquire an additional 16.5% of its Kenyan subsidiary for about $239 million.techtrendske

The broader African M&A market, however, declined 10% in value and 13% in volume compared with the first half of 2025, with 166 transactions worth $5.58 billion recorded outside South Africa. The divergence highlights a theme playing out globally: investors are concentrating capital in fewer, larger deals where they see scale and strategic value, while smaller transactions face a more cautious market.techtrendske