A surge in $10-billion-plus mega-deals drove global M&A to record levels in the first half of 2026, with the total value of announced deals hitting $2.8 trillion. This represents a 48% year-on-year increase and the highest year-to-date total since records began in 1980.
Record-Breaking Deals
Blockbuster deals dominated, with 47 deals above $10 billion totaling more than $1.3 trillion and accounting for nearly 50% of global volumes. Notable deals include NextEra Energy’s $66.8 billion Dominion Energy merger and SpaceX’s roughly $60 billion Cursor purchase.
According to Jay Hofmann, JPMorgan’s North America co-head of mergers and acquisitions, corporates have shown tremendous resilience in the face of geopolitical, monetary, macroeconomic, and microeconomic volatility. Financing for acquisitions was plentiful, with global investment-grade corporate debt issues totaling $3.4 trillion, a 10% increase year-on-year.
Technology Dominates
Technology remained the largest sector for dealmaking globally, with $649 billion of announced transactions in the first half. Cross-border M&A reached $893 billion in the first half of 2026, up 62% from a year ago, with the U.S. being the most targeted, accounting for 25% of cross-border transactions.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
