3 Important M&A Mid-Year Updates You Should Know About

While many expected dealmaking to stall in 2025 amid macroeconomic uncertainty, new research from Bain & Company suggests otherwise. According to Bain’s M&A Midyear Report 2025, strategic mergers and acquisitions are not just persisting; they’re gaining traction.

Here are three key updates every dealmaker should be aware of:

1. Strategic M&A Is Gaining Momentum

Deal volume through May is up 11% year-over-year, defying assumptions that the tariff shock would bring activity to a standstill. Executives are utilizing M&A to restructure business models, enhance capabilities, and divest from legacy operations. The message is clear: disciplined companies are leaning into disruption.

2. Corporate Buyers Are Sharpening Their Playbooks in Mid-Year

The M&A mid-year market report notes a growing trend toward early-stage planning, particularly in terms of value creation and integration. Buyers are developing more detailed pre-close strategies, mapping out cost and revenue synergies in advance, and modeling tariff-related supply chain risks. The emphasis is shifting from defensive diligence to proactive scenario planning.

3. AI and Geopolitics Are Reshaping M&A Priorities

Technology continues to drive scope deals, particularly in the areas of AI and automation. Bain highlights that many acquirers are buying not just for product or market expansion, but to acquire new digital capabilities. At the same time, geopolitical forces; tariffs, nearshoring, and shifting alliances—are accelerating divestitures and realignments across industries.

Implications for Today’s Deal Teams

If 2023 and 2024 were marked by caution, 2025 is about conviction. The firms that see success are those that are decisive, prepared, and willing to act even in periods of uncertainty. The best-positioned buyers have strong balance sheets, disciplined valuation approaches, and clear plans for post-close integration.

How RedlineDCS Is Supporting This Shift

RedlineDCS is built for this moment. More than 100 organizations now run their M&A, credit financing, partnerships, and capital transitions through our platform, ranging from early-stage acquisitions to complex cross-border integrations. We continue to grow by listening closely to deal teams and investing in tools that reduce risk, compress timelines, and cut outside legal spend.

Our product evolves in step with our users’ needs. From NDA workflows and virtual data rooms to integrated signature tools and playbook-driven deal execution, DCS is built to keep deals moving.

As strategic M&A regains momentum, we remain committed to supporting the dealmakers driving these transformations forward.

Written by John Thompson, guest writer.