The Operational Excellence Tools Series | #21: Global M&A Activity Surpasses USD 1 Trillion.

The Boom of Mega Deals and Lessons Through the Lens of Operational Excellence.

Welcome to the unique weekend article for the Loyal Fan subscribers-only edition.

This is the #21 article of The Operational Excellence Tools Series.

Outlines and Key Takeaways

Part 1 – The Global M&A Landscape in Q3 2025: A Wave Surpassing USD 1 Trillion

Part 2 – Strategic Turning Points from the Trillion-Dollar M&A Wave

Part 3 – Dissecting the M&A Wave Through the Lens of Operational Excellence

Part 4 – Lessons for Businesses from the Trillion-Dollar M&A Wave

Part 1 – The Global M&A Landscape in Q3 2025: A Wave Surpassing USD 1 Trillion

1) An Unprecedented “Trillion-Dollar” Quarter

According to Refinitiv and Bloomberg (2025), the total value of global M&A transactions in Q3 2025 exceeded USD 1 trillion – the highest in the past five years. The 10 largest deals alone accounted for nearly 45% of total value, showing that the surge was driven primarily by mega-deals rather than a large number of small transactions.

Most notable was the acquisition of Electronic Arts (EA) for more than USD 55 billion, officially becoming one of the largest technology–entertainment deals of the decade. In addition, the pharmaceutical, renewable energy, and fintech sectors also recorded multiple multi-billion-dollar transactions.

2) The Drivers Behind the Wave

Analysts identified three key drivers:

• Pressure for rapid growth: After a prolonged period of high interest rates, many corporations had accumulated large cash reserves but lacked organic growth engines, pushing them toward M&A.

• Technology & Intellectual Property (IP): Companies are chasing IP, user data, and core technologies to quickly close competitive gaps.

• Industry restructuring: Against geopolitical uncertainty, the drive for supply chain autonomy and scale consolidation has accelerated mergers and integrations.

3) Stark Polarization

While large corporations are snapping up billion-dollar deals to boost their power, SMEs face growing pressure:

• Competitors are becoming “bigger and stronger.”

• Value within supply chains is being redistributed.

• New governance standards (compliance, ESG, customer data management) cascade down to medium and small enterprises.

As the Financial Times (2025) observed:

“This is not just harvest season for corporations, but also a survival test for small businesses.”

4) Opening the OPEX Lens