Asia Bankers Look to Japan and Australia for M&A Activity
Market volatility, rising prices, military conflicts and concerns about artificial intelligence have challenged dealmaking across Asia and elsewhere. Bankers are looking to activity in Japan and Australia, along with transactions in China, as pockets of resilience that could help revive mergers and acquisitions from a broader slowdown.
Dealmaking in Asia and elsewhere has faced pressure from market gyrations, rising prices, military conflicts and worries about artificial intelligence, according to Bloomberg.
Despite those challenges, some parts of the region have continued to record transaction activity. Australia, Japan and China were identified as markets where deals have kept moving.
Bankers are hoping activity in Japan and Australia can help lift mergers and acquisitions from a broader period of weakness. The source did not provide transaction values, specific deals or a timetable for any expected recovery.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What conditions would be required for activity in Japan and Australia to spread across other Asian markets?
Which types of transactions have remained most resilient despite the wider pressures on dealmaking?
How might rising prices affect the financing and valuation of potential acquisitions?
Could concerns about artificial intelligence create opportunities for some buyers while discouraging others?
What evidence would show that the reported pockets of activity represent a sustained recovery rather than isolated transactions?
YOUR QUESTION
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GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · SEPTEMBER 2026