Best of LinkedIn: M&A Insights CW 35/ 36

Strategic scale plays dominated, with spectrum investments signaling renewed confidence in transformative bets

UK conditions remained supportive despite uncertainty, rewarding clarity of vision and decisive execution

Regional snapshots highlighted resilience, with technology and real estate showing renewed momentum

Corporate buyers focused on fewer but larger, strategic deals – notably in AI and healthcare adjacencies

Private equity demonstrated selective re-engagement in scalable tech, while founders grew more open to exits amid policy and tax shifts

Corporate M&A adopted a VC-speed mindset, leveraging AI to compress diligence and reshape sourcing

Winning strategies combined incumbent SaaS with agentic and generative AI, using M&A to bridge data moats with new capabilities

AI infrastructure build-outs raised the bar for timing and strategy, requiring advisors to recalibrate pacing and thesis precision

Operators framed AI as complementary to M&A – acquisitions filled capability gaps while AI expanded margins and accelerated integration

Dealtech demonstrations showcased Power BI-driven workflows and automation, removing manual friction in buy-side diligence

Execution gravity shifted toward post-merger integration, with operating alignment emerging as the primary synergy engine

Leaders emphasized integration planning from day one, with clear ownership and early value capture as baseline expectations

System sprawl surfaced as a hidden synergy killer; AI-driven application intelligence was highlighted to rationalize technology stacks

Accounting integration emerged as a material risk, with data integrity and policy harmonization critical for converting headline value into cash flow

Culture, communication, and visible leadership were framed as key differentiators under complexity and extended timelines

EU merger guideline debates underscored the need for clearer treatment of dynamic markets, vertical and conglomerate effects, and safe harbours

Experts cautioned against over-reliance on structural indicators (market shares, HHI) without contextual analysis of competitive effects

Labour market and sustainability impacts were flagged for more consistent inclusion in merger review frameworks

Deal timelines lengthened as political and regulatory dynamics reshaped strategies, demanding evidence-rich narratives prepared early

Equity-funded transactions rose alongside premium valuations, shifting communication from pricing toward strategic logic

UK assets benefited from currency effects, while corporates weighed AI capex and M&A as complementary, not competing, capital uses

Strategy increasingly dictated financing choices, aligning deal structures with integration readiness and durable return pathways

Transfer pricing in cross-border M&A was highlighted as an overlooked battleground with significant implications for deal economics and compliance

Transatlantic dealmakers prioritized certainty, streamlined conditions, and regulator-aware sequencing

Banking and financial services consolidation in Europe remained constrained by policy, heightening the importance of precise theses and credible integration plans

Technology remained the anchor theme, spanning software, data platforms, AI talent, and toolsets

Healthcare and digital health sustained premium valuations as corporate strategy adjacencies

Energy, utilities, and resources intersected with data centre demand and grid-scale upgrades

Real estate activity focused selectively on strategic repositioning aligned with operating synergies

Aerospace, space, and MRO drew attention where autonomy and AI met defence-grade requirements

Practitioners shared structured M&A playbooks and free guides covering the full lifecycle from thesis to integration

New insight formats launched, including a weekly capital brief and practitioner-led podcasts with market reads and frameworks

Masterclasses showcased data-driven diligence and reporting workflows aimed at compressing cycle time and reducing error rates