The Great Re-rating:Q1 2026 Digital M&A Market Report

The global M&A market has entered a new era of aggressive, large-scale consolidation. Following a record-breaking $4.9 trillion in deal value in 2025, Q1 2026 has been defined by mega-deals exceeding $5 billion, a structural shift in regulatory sentiment, and the pervasive impact of artificial intelligence as a primary value driver across all digital sectors. This report analyzes the key transactions, market trends, and strategic drivers shaping the landscape.

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Global M&A Deal Value 2025 (Record)

$4.9T

Deals Exceeding $10B in 2025

60

Global Fintech Investment 2025

$116B

M&A Execs Expect Increased Activity

80%

The global mergers and acquisitions market has entered a new era of aggressive, large-scale consolidation, marking a definitive end to the cautious posture of the past two years. Following a record-breaking $4.9 trillion in deal value in 2025, the first quarter of 2026 has been defined by a surge in mega-deals exceeding $5 billion, a structural shift in regulatory sentiment, and the pervasive impact of artificial intelligence as a primary value driver across all digital sectors.

This report analyzes the key transactions, market trends, and strategic drivers shaping the digital M&A landscape. The market is undergoing a "great re-rating" where legacy business models are being absorbed by technologically superior acquirers, and institutional capital is flowing decisively into digital infrastructure, AI-native SaaS, and regulated digital assets. The key themes for Q1 2026 are clear: scale is paramount, regulatory clarity is unlocking new asset classes, and the race to acquire AI capabilities is no longer a choice, but a necessity for survival.

Source: PitchBook, LSEG, Acquiry Research. 2026 figure is a forward estimate based on Q1 2026 deal velocity.

The market's resurgence is built on a foundation of renewed confidence from corporate boards, fueled by a more permissive regulatory environment and stabilizing interest rates. The passage of permanent R&D tax incentives in the US, combined with a Federal Reserve rate cut in December 2025, provided the catalyst for a wave of capital-intensive transactions. Goldman Sachs topped the global M&A ranking in 2025, Facilitating nearly 40 deals worth $1.48 trillion in total volume, marking the strongest period for mega-deals by volume on record.

Mega-deals valued at greater than $5 billion accounted for more than 73% of the increase in deal value in 2025, according to Bain & Company. The number of deals exceeding the $10 billion threshold swelled to 60 in 2025, the highest level since 2021. This momentum has carried directly into Q1 2026, with landmark transactions across media, fintech, gaming, and digital infrastructure.

Selected major transactions from Q1 2026 and late 2025. Source: Company announcements, Reuters, Bloomberg, Acquiry Research.

Fintech and Payments: The Great Consolidation

While overall fintech deal volume has declined, the value of transactions is rising, pointing to a market focused on quality and scale. Global fintech investment rebounded to $116 billion in 2025, with the Americas leading at $66.5 billion. The payments sector saw fewer but larger deals, with investors concentrating capital on proven, profitable companies.

The acquisition of Brex by Capital One for $5.15 billion is the defining fintech deal of Q1 2026. It represents a significant exit for the fintech unicorn, albeit at a substantial discount to its 2021 peak valuation of $12.3 billion. The deal signals a broader trend: traditional financial institutions are absorbing fintech infrastructure rather than competing with it, and late-stage VC markups are being stress-tested by real market conditions.

The biggest structural story, however, is the move by traditional financial infrastructure players. The Brink's acquisition of NCR Atleos for $6.6 billion creates a dominant force in financial technology infrastructure. Meanwhile, reports of Stripe considering a bid for PayPal suggest that even the largest payment processors are not immune to the pressures of consolidation.

Source: KPMG Pulse of Fintech H2 2025. Figures in USD Billion.

SaaS and Enterprise Software: The AI Premium

The SaaS market saw record M&A activity in 2025 with approximately 2,700 transactions, a 28% increase over 2024. This trend has accelerated into 2026, driven by a clear valuation premium for AI-native and AI-enabled SaaS companies. Acquirers are aggressively pursuing targets that offer automation, data analysis, and workflow optimization capabilities.

Salesforce made its second acquisition of 2026 in February, acquiring Momentum, a conversational insights and revenue orchestration platform. Flexera made a double acquisition to build an AI-enabled FinOps automation solution, acquiring both ProsperOps (AI cloud cost optimization) and Chaos Genius (AI cost optimization for Snowflake and Databricks). Datadog acquired Propolis, an autonomous QA testing platform, integrating it into its observability stack.

Source: Dealroom, Acquiry Research. Volume figures represent announced and closed transactions globally.

Digital Infrastructure: The New Oil

Investment in digital infrastructure is being driven by the insatiable demand for computing power from AI workloads. US hyperscalers were spending an average of $760 million per day on capital expenditures from Q1 2024 to Q3 2025, according to Goldman Sachs. By 2030, another 65 gigawatts of data center capacity will need to come online, more than double the amount added from 2019 to 2024.

The landmark deal in this space is the announced acquisition of DigitalBridge by SoftBank for approximately $4 billion, giving SoftBank control of a leading global digital infrastructure asset manager with a 30-year track record. The deal was priced at $16 per share, representing a 150% premium to DigitalBridge's 52-week low, and is expected to close in H2 2026.

Media and Entertainment: Streaming's Endgame

The acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount for $110 billion is the culmination of a multi-year consolidation wave in the media industry. The deal, announced on February 27, 2026, ends a high-stakes bidding war that saw Netflix offer $82.7 billion for WBD's studios and streaming assets before walking away. The combined entity will control Paramount+, HBO Max, and Pluto TV, creating a streaming platform with the scale to compete directly with Netflix and Disney+.

This follows the late 2025 hostile acquisition of Paramount Global by Skydance Media for $108.4 billion, a deal that kickstarted the current media consolidation phase. The message is clear: in streaming, scale is the only viable long-term moat, and the window for mid-tier players to remain independent is closing rapidly.

Gaming: The Race for IP and Platforms

The gaming sector continues to see massive consolidation, with both strategic and financial buyers seeking to acquire valuable intellectual property and established player bases. The most significant pending deal is the $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts by a consortium including Silver Lake, Affinity Partners, and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The transaction has been approved by EA's board and shareholders, and is expected to close in Q1 fiscal 2027.

In a separate move, Savvy Games Group, also backed by the Saudi PIF, is in advanced talks to acquire Moonton from ByteDance, a deal expected to close by the end of Q1 2026. ByteDance originally acquired Moonton in 2021 for approximately $4 billion. The Saudi PIF's aggressive gaming acquisition strategy is reshaping the competitive landscape and creating a new category of sovereign-backed strategic acquirers.

Crypto and Digital Assets: Unlocked by Regulation

Regulatory clarity has been the single most important catalyst for M&A in the digital assets space. The implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation in the EU and the passage of the GENIUS Act in the US have provided a framework for institutional investment and M&A activity that simply did not exist 18 months ago.

Investment in digital assets nearly doubled to $19.1 billion in 2025. Q1 2026 has seen a flurry of activity, with 17 crypto-related acquisitions in January alone. Key deals include Chainlink Labs acquiring Atlas, Neynar acquiring Farcaster, and Animoca Brands acquiring SOMO. The move by Stripe's stablecoin arm, Bridge, to acquire a conditional trust charter from the US OCC is a major step toward the integration of stablecoins into the mainstream financial system.

While the appetite for deals remains strong, the pool of discretionary capital to fund them is historically thin. The proportion of capital allocated to M&A hit a 30-year low in 2025, according to Bain, as companies directed more cash toward dividends, buybacks, capital expenditures, and R&D. This dynamic is forcing executives to pursue only transactions that deliver clear and demonstrable returns.

The funding crunch has pushed private capital to the center of dealmaking. Private equity now accounts for roughly 40% of global M&A activity, according to Goldman Sachs. Despite signs of stress in the private credit market, now valued at roughly $2.1 trillion, Goldman expects the asset class to more than double by 2030, broadening the pool of capital available to fund large transactions. Sovereign wealth funds, particularly from the Gulf, are increasingly acting as lead investors rather than passive backers.

01

AI as the Universal Driver

AI is no longer a vertical. It is a horizontal enabler that is driving valuation premiums and strategic acquisitions across all digital sectors. Companies without an AI acquisition strategy are already behind.

02

Scale as a Defensive Moat

In media, payments, and digital infrastructure, the market has decided that only the largest players will survive. Expect continued consolidation as companies race to achieve the scale required to compete.

03

Strategic Acquirers Back in Seat

While private equity remains a major force, strategic corporate acquirers are using their balance sheets to make bold, transformational acquisitions. The era of financial engineering is giving way to genuine strategic logic.

04

Regulatory Clarity as Catalyst

Clear regulatory frameworks for digital assets and a more permissive antitrust stance in the US are unlocking new M&A opportunities, particularly in fintech, stablecoins, and digital infrastructure.

05

Cross-Border Activity Intensifies

The surge in outbound investment from Japan and the Gulf, combined with increasing competition for assets in Europe and Southeast Asia, will continue to drive cross-border M&A at elevated deal values.

06

Down-Round Exits Accelerate

The Brex exit at a 58% discount to peak valuation is not an isolated case. Late-stage VC portfolios are being marked to market, and strategic acquirers are finding value in distressed or repriced digital assets.

The transactions covered in this report reflect a market that is simultaneously consolidating at the top and repricing in the middle. For sellers, the window to achieve premium valuations remains open, but it is narrowing. For buyers, the current environment offers genuine opportunities to acquire AI-native capabilities, regulated digital asset infrastructure, and scaled distribution at prices that would have been unthinkable 18 months ago.

Acquiry is actively Facilitating mandates across fintech, SaaS, blockchain, gaming, and digital infrastructure. We work with listed companies, private equity funds, family offices, and founders on both buy-side and sell-side transactions ranging from $1 million to $500 million. If you are considering a transaction in any of the sectors covered in this report, we would welcome a confidential conversation.

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15. 15.American Banker. "Stripe-owned Bridge acquires trust charter for stablecoins." February 19, 2026. (opens in a new tab)

Acquiry runs buy-side and sell-side mandates for digital businesses. We are not limited to the sectors or markets covered here: any sector, any market, bring it to us anyway. Start a mandate (opens in a new tab).