Goldman Sachs forecasters anticipate that 2026 will represent one of the busiest epochs in recent memory for the worldwide mergers and acquisitions domain, notably within the sphere of sizable and game-changing transactions. This observation was put forth by the firm's chief executive officer David Solomon , during his commentary on the group's monetary outcomes for 2025.
Goldman Sachs secured an unsurpassed $9.3 billion in investment banking revenue during 2025, reflecting a surge of 21% compared to the prior year. Collectively, the half-dozen largest banking institutions in the U.S. — Morgan Stanley , Citigroup , Wells Fargo , JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America and Goldman Sachs — collectively amassed $593 billion in gross income and approximately $157 billion in after-tax profit , escalating by 6% and 8%, in that order.
According to Solomon, the present convergence of macroeconomic elements fashion a propitious period for M&A and the markets for capital. Essential elements involve the US Federal Reserve’s decrease in borrowing costs, the loosening of regulatory restrictions, alongside noteworthy volumes of readily available capital on firm asset sheets that could be implemented for calculated company takeovers.
As per Dealogic data, the total of worldwide M&A undertakings in 2025 expanded to $5.1 trillion , which signifies an increase of 42% from 2024. Banking experts indicate a pronounced swelling of potential contracts — the count of deals within the phase of readying — achieving their greatest number across the past four years.
Goldman Sachs sustained its front-running position within the global M&A arena during 2025, providing counsel on deals totaling $1.48 trillion and accruing $4.6 billion in service fees. Notable business endeavors within the fiscal year encompassed the $56.5 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts in addition to Alphabet's $32 billion purchase of Wiz.
At the same juncture, top personnel from alternate investing entities sound alarms that the optimistic forecast may undergo adjustment by geopolitical uncertainties as well as the instabilities of macroeconomics. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has routinely stressed the idea that the ensuing route for percentage rates shall be reliant on inflationary pressure and the durability of fiscal augmentation.
Regardless of the aforementioned risks, investment firms concur that: 2026 could unfold as a juncture for re-established grand strategic transactions, as corporations and directorates exhibit readiness for formidable, paradigm-shifting resolutions upon several years of cautious undertaking.