IG lending drives $255.3B of US M&A loan issuance during 1H26

US syndicated loan issuance backing M&A purposes reached US$255.3bn during 1H26, driven primarily by IG volume

US syndicated loan issuance backing M&A activity totaled US$255.3bn during the first six months of the year, with the majority of volume coming from investment grade activity. Investment grade M&A loans amounted to US$120.1bn, outpacing leveraged M&A at US$108.8bn. This marks a 40% increase in syndicated lending for M&A purposes compared to the first half of 2025. The first half of the year also saw US$50.6bn in LBO activity, with US$24.6bn having been issued in March, alone, largely through jumbo transactions such as for Hologic and Electronic Arts.