“Companies are setting their long-term strategies, M&A is definitely a part of that,”said Miles, the bank’s global co-head of M&A. He added that during tumultuous times, M&A has benefited companies, and management and boards are implementing their strategic initiatives despite the uncertainty. “You have a number of sectors, companies seeing unprecedented demand, M&A has to be a part of it.” The broader build out of data center infrastructure needed to scale AI, for example, requires M&A, according to Miles. M&A deal volume hit a record US$1.3 trillion high in the first quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “If you have elevated oil prices, for example, for a longer time,” he said, “that will have to impact valuations and cost structure.”However, boards are assessing whether elevated oil prices are temporary, he added.

Source: The Edge Markets April 01, 2026 22:21 UTC