Middle market syndicated loan M&A volume has reached US$49.2bn year-to-date, surpassing the US$46.1bn and US$44.4bn posted in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The last three quarters have been particularly busy on the back of buoyant M&A activity, with loan volume climbing to US$14.5bn in the current quarter, far outpacing the US$6.75bn issued in the same period last year.
The top sectors year-to-date in terms of middle market syndicated loan M&A issuance are technology (US$6.1bn), business services (US$5.9bn), and manufacturing (US$5.3bn). This strong showing by the syndicated loan market comes despite extreme competition for deals from private debt funds, which have also seen a surge in deal flow this year.
(Past performance is no guarantee of future results.)
Latest news
Software, consumer-related direct lending deals fell in H1'26
The software and technology sector, the second-most-active sector in 2025 at 17% of total deal activity, slid to fifth place in the first half of 2026.
Unconquered Territory
With most of the map still unexplored, there’s room for a sequel.
