Bain & Company – M&A Midyear Report 2025: Separating the Signal from the Noise

The main theme of the report is the analysis of the current state of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market amidst economic upheavals and changes.

Key findings include: Experienced leaders are leveraging lessons from past crises for strategic actions despite high interest rates, regulatory hurdles, and AI impact. A new wave of deals is aimed at creating resilient portfolios through scaling, capability expansion, and strategic divestitures. Companies are assessing how secondary and tertiary effects of tariffs may alter their portfolios, M&A roadmaps, and deal flows.