Resilience and momentum shaping the UK’s dynamic M&A market
Resilience, stability and strength define the UK company sales landscape in 2026, highlighted as “one of the world’s most active and competitive M&A markets” by Experian.
KBS Corporate is right at the epicentre of this heightened activity, with our group having been named as the UK’s No.1-ranked M&A adviser by the Dublin-based business data bureau for the number of deals completed during 2025.
The 2020s has been a turbulent decade geopolitically and economically, but the M&A market continues to withstand every challenge – and the SME segment, in which KBS specialises, is particularly buoyant as company owners reap the rewards of the hard work they have invested into making their businesses a success.
“Over the past decade, activity has remained consistently robust despite the impact of the pandemic and broader global economic headwinds,” reported Experian in its UK and Republic of Ireland M&A Review of 2025, a year when nearly 7,000 transactions were completed.
“The latest figures reaffirm the UK’s position as one of the world’s most active and competitive M&A markets. SME deals continued to underpin activity, with transactions below £100million representing 88% of all disclosed value deals and generating £20.3billion in aggregate value.
“Domestic transactions dominated overall volumes. However, the UK also continued to attract substantial inbound interest, particularly from buyers in the United States, Sweden, Ireland and France, alongside continued participation from the rest of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“Looking ahead, the outlook remains positive, supported by continued business transformation driven by AI adoption and ongoing sector consolidation.”
The relentless acceleration of AI’s influence on business and, indeed, daily life is illustrated in Experian’s M&A sector analysis, with technology, media and telecoms (TMT) accounting for the highest number of deals – almost 20% sat within this sector, although healthcare and education saw the biggest rises in deal volume.
“Ongoing advancements in AI and digital transformation (are) serving as core drivers of activity,” reported Experian. “Deal volume remained broadly consistent with the previous year, with 1,334 transactions recorded — the sector continued to demonstrate considerable resilience.
“AI adoption played a central role, as organisations focused on enhancing workflows through automation and embedding AI capabilities into core systems. This shift towards AI‑enabled operating models remained a defining theme across the TMT landscape.
“Professional services was the second most active sector. Manufacturing maintained solid momentum, reflecting sustained interest in the sector’s long‑term growth fundamentals.
“Health and education’s increases in deal volume underscore continued investor appetite for essential services and long‑term demand‑driven segments of the economy.”
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