Welcome to Alinea's latest quarterly M&A update / Q2 2026

In the dynamic world of M&A, staying ahead creates possibilities. This quarterly review, developed with data from our partner MarktoMarket, transforms data into actionable insights that map today's deal landscape. Our analysis uncovers market dynamics that can help release your ambitions, whether selling, buying, or growing.

Volumes & Trends

Deal activity recorded 1,460 transactions in Q2 2026 - as with every fresh quarter, this figure typically revises upward as further deals are filed (last quarter's count was itself revised up from 1,341 to 1,512 since our previous update)
Deals up to £50m continue to drive market activity (59% of disclosed Q2 deals), reflecting sustained mid-market strength

Key Market Features

Trade buyers represented 70% of acquisitions in Q2 2026, retaining their position as the dominant buyer type
UK buyers dominate with 82% of deal activity, while EU buyer participation eased back to 8% after peaking at 9% in Q1 2026
TMT (8.6x) and Property (6.3x) sectors demonstrate valuation resilience with the strongest EBITDA multiples this quarter

Whether you're considering selling, buying, or growing, this quarter's data reveals clear opportunities across sectors and deal sizes. Our analysis provides the insights needed to navigate your next strategic move with confidence

UK M&A Market Intelligence — Last 4 Quarters | Alinea Corporate Finance

UK M&A Deal & Stats Tracker

Last 4 reported quarters · Q3 2025 – Q2 2026

Reporting Quarter

1,341

Deals this quarter

▼ 13.6% vs Q4-25

5,954

Total deals, last 4 quarters

Q3-25 – Q2-26

28.6%

PE & PE-backed share

of this quarter's deals

6.3x

Blended EV/EBITDA (LTM)

Sub-£100m EV, simple average across sectors

+2.1%

Property deal volume, QoQ

Now 15.0% of all deals — risen every quarter for a year, from 11.2% in Q3-25, even as the wider market cooled 3.4% this quarter

81.8%

UK buyers, Q2-26

UK acquirers have held steady between 80–82% of every quarter's trade deals over the past year — the most stable reading in the dataset

8.6x

TMT EV/EBITDA, LTM

Still the highest multiple of any sector tracked, though down from a 9.5x three-year average — the clearest sign of multiple compression this year

Deal Volume by Quarter

Total UK technology & cross-sector M&A completions

Sector Mix by Quarter

Deal count by sector, stacked · estimated where sector was undisclosed

Buyer Geography — Q1-26

Trade buyers only, by acquirer origin

Deal Size — Q1-26

Enterprise value bands, as % of deals with a disclosed value

EV/EBITDA Multiples by Sector

LTM to Jul-26 · UK targets, sub-£100m EV

Buyer Type by Quarter

Trade vs. private equity & PE-backed acquirers

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