As M&A deal volume surged to a dizzying record of USD 3.16tn in 1H26, driven by a swathe of corporates focusing intensely on M&A and a rise in giga-deals worth more than USD 50bn, navigating narrative and communicating efficiently in a world on edge has never been more important.

As per Mergermarket‘s global and regional 1H26 PR advisory rankings, 18 of the top 20 names by deal volume saw numbers increase year-on-year (YoY). Among the top 10, Brunswick Group, FTI Consulting Group, Kekst, and Collected Strategies all saw volumes rise by a triple-digit percentage compared to last year.

Leading the charge, as in 1H25, was FGS Global, which topped the charts for both deal volume and deal count. FGS advised on 185 deals worth a total of USD 609bn, a 46% jump in volume YoY, but a decline of more than 100 in terms of deal count.

In terms of volume, Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher and Brunswick Group kept their respective silver and bronze placements, respectively, with USD 452bn and USD 424bn, and both saw gains. Prosek Partners and ICR were the only two names on the list to see declining deal volume as compared to 1H25.

On the deal count front, FGS Global and Prosek Partners both worked on 185 deals, while Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher jumped up a spot from 1H25, landing in third place with 137 deals.

EMEA

• In Europe, Brunswick Group stepped a spot to take the gold with USD 258.7bn in deal volume, while FGS Global slipped one rank to claim silver with USD 121.7bn. Excellera Advisory Group climbed two places to take the top spot in deal count with 86 deals.
• In the UK, Brunswick Group jumped two spots to take the gold with USD 147.6bn. FTI Consulting Group took the crown in deal count with 47 deals.
• In Germany, Brunswick Group rose five places to lead the rankings by deal volume with USD 61.6bn across 10 deals.
• In France, Brunswick Group surged from ninth place to claim the top position with USD 44.1bn over 17 deals.
• In Italy, Image Building jumped one spot to get a gold with USD 37.5bn.
• In the Nordics, Kekst CNC climbed from the ninth place to top the ranking with USD 42.8bn across 17 deals.
• In MEA, Brunswick Group retained the gold in deal volume with USD 9.6bn across seven deals

Americas 

• In the Americas, the top three volume winners kept their laurels from 1H25: FGS Global had USD 564.3bn; Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, USD 452bn; and Brunswick Group, USD 321.1bn. This top three was replicated in the US rankings.
• Prosek Partners led the deal count rankings in the Americas with 169 transactions, followed by Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher with 137, and FGS Global with 130.
• In Canada, FGS Global led both the volume and deal count rankings with USD 28.6bn across 12 deals.
• In Latin America, Brunswick Group took the gold with USD 4.4bn, while Kekst CNC took the crown for deal count with five deals.

APAC

• In APAC (excluding Japan), Brunswick Group retained its first by volume with USD 60.9bn across 19 deals. H/Advisors jumped 26 places to reach the second spot with USD 33.1bn over 11 deals.
• For deal count in APAC (excluding Japan), FGS Global retained its crown with 36 deals.
• In Japan, FGS Global topped both the volume and count rankings with USD 12.4bn with 11 deals.
• In Australasia, Sodali & Co led the deal volume and count rankings with USD 22.1bn across 24 transactions.
• In Greater China, Brunswick Group retained the top position by deal volume with USD 32.6bn across six deals, while FGS Global kept its deal-count crown with 23 deals.