A new phase for bank M&A: Fewer deals, higher conviction
Banking M&A is showing signs of life again, but the playbook has changed. Bain’s 2026 Banking M&A Report highlights a shift away from scale-for-scale’s-sake toward deals that clearly strengthen core capabilities. Capital discipline, regulatory scrutiny, and execution risk are forcing banks to be far more selective. In this environment, success is less about doing more deals and more about doing the right ones, with a clear path to value creation from day one.
Source: https://www.bain.com/insights/banking-m-and-a-report-2026/
