Macroeconomic Indicators & Trends

October 19, 2026

M&A Is Booming Because Rapid Change Is Forcing Firms to Rethink Their Business

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Torsten Slok

Partner, Chief Economist

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M&A is on pace for a near-record year, driven by the ongoing rapid technological change that is forcing firms to adapt to a new world.

In the first nine months, 42 deals topped $10 billion, worth over $1.1 trillion, or 36% of all M&A value, see charts below. Big is getting bigger.

  1. AI is the trigger of the M&A boom, but it is lighting up far more than tech. Buyers are chasing data centers, power generation, grid infrastructure, cooling and connectivity. Utilities and energy posted a record first half, as AI infrastructure demand and energy security accelerated. Scale-seeking in industrials and health care adds fuel.
  2. Corporates lead, while private equity holds back because AI has made software harder to value. AI cuts both ways. It spurs investment in some areas but raises doubts about the durability of software business models. Sponsor tech deal value fell 67%, while non-tech PE rose 17%. Net, sponsor M&A is down 6%.
  3. The M&A boom in Europe looks different from America’s.
    • US: Fewer, bigger deals. Large strategic transactions have returned while broader dealmaking stays subdued. The action is in AI, power and tech.
    • Europe: A consolidation play. In the second quarter, financial services was the highest-value sector, ahead of industrials. Banks and telecoms are bulking up as policymakers back scale, and defense is attracting capital that once steered clear.

The bottom line is that the speed of change in AI, energy, infrastructure, defense and financial services has triggered action among many corporates, and the need for long-term, flexible capital to finance this change is enormous.

For more discussion, see also here.

Written by Huw van Steenis and Torsten Slok

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