Keeping Up With the Momentum
What lies ahead for Asia Financial Services M&A in 2026?
Asian Financial Services M&A in 2026 will be defined by strategic consolidation for scale and enhanced resilience, alongside targeted high-growth acquisitions to cater to Asia’s burgeoning wealthy class and investments in technological advancements.
After a year dominated by megadeals in 2025, Asia will likely continue to captivate financial services dealmakers – both domestic and global. Whilst overall dealmaking slowed down in 2025, deal values surged, demonstrating buyers’ appetite for larger deals. With improved financing conditions and accommodative regulatory conditions, this will set the scene for larger and more complex transactions as we look forward to 2026.
This report offers insights into:
- Asia Financial Services dealmaking in 2025
- Strategic drivers and M&A trends across sub-sectors and countries/regions in Asia
- A&M’s M&A predictions in 2026 for Insurance, Banking and Capital Markets, Wealth and Asset Management, and Private Equity
- How players are leveraging M&A to win in Asia’s Financial Services industry
KEY INSIGHTS
Looking Back at 2025
- Deal value doubled to $150 billion in 2025, of which $129 billion was driven by megadeals with a deal size of at least $500 million1
- Cross-border acquisitions drove megadeals as foreign buyers sought higher returns in Asia’s key growth markets, whist Asian buyers looked outbound to unlock new capabilities
- Banking and Capital Markets continued to dominate buyer interest, with Insurance and Wealth and Asset Management deal activity accelerating
Looking Ahead to 2026
- Consolidation for scale and operational efficiencies to remain the leading motivation for M&A activity
- Demand-led growth for digital-first solutions where key digital capabilities are a necessity to sustain top-line growth and retain market share
- Access to adjacent verticals for revenue diversification and entry into fast-growing verticals to drive both strategic and financial acquisitions across the financial services landscape
As we embark on the new year, we at A&M are optimistic that Asia will continue to remain a hotspot for financial services transactions. The “signed, sealed” is a given; but dealmakers will have to take proactive steps across the end-to-end M&A process to have value delivered. Understanding Asia’s key financial services M&A trends, and the drivers behind growing buyer interest in select verticals, will be critical in developing a compelling deal thesis.
For more insights tailored to your ambitions and strategies on making your big bets pay off, contact our Asia Financial Services Team today.
We believe that value creation in deals begins with a clear integration/divestment strategy. We can help you transition from deal value identification to deal planning and execution, and ultimately, deal value realisation.
Source: [1] A&M analysis based on data from PitchBook Data Inc.* and S&P Global Market Intelligence
*Data has not been reviewed by PitchBook analysts
