Our latest M&A Market Monitor explores how deal terms and processes are evolving as the global M&A market showed renewed momentum in 2025.
Drawing on our experience advising on more than 800 M&A transactions annually worldwide, with a disclosed value of over $110bn, the report provides a data-driven analysis of how dealmaking is adapting across regions and sectors, and what this means for corporates, investors and advisers as they look ahead to 2026.
Key themes covered include:
- Bridging the valuation gap – completion accounts vs locked box, earn-outs, escrow and vendor financing.
- Regulatory impact – the embedded and expanding role of merger control and FDI regimes, longer timetables, and the practical implications for deal structuring and documentation.
- Deal structures – increased use of split signing and closing, evolving approaches to MAC clauses, and shifting liability frameworks.
- W&I insurance – the continued prevalence of low or nil recourse structures and analysis of recent claims experience.
- Global outlook – momentum in M&A underpinned by disciplined capital deployment, active portfolio rationalisation and carve-outs, and sector-specific drivers such as AI, healthcare and consumer consolidation.
With comparative insights from the UK, US, Continental Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the report highlights both convergences and divergences in market practice, enabling dealmakers to understand what is “market” and how best to navigate negotiation dynamics
In addition to the global edition, we have also produced a Europe-focused version and a Private Equity version of the Market Monitor. These explore regional differences in deal practice in greater depth and highlight the trends most relevant to financial sponsors.
Exclusivity matters
The Market Monitor is not widely published. We deliver it directly to key clients and intermediaries in live sessions, where we can present, explain and tailor the findings to your business and sector.
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