Deals outlook 2026: Preparing finance teams for what’s ahead

As signs of market stabilization emerge, companies are reassessing their deal strategies for 2026. In this episode, we explore IPO and M&A trends, the influence of AI and macroeconomic shifts, and the steps finance teams can take now to be ready for what’s next. In this episode, we discuss: 3:35 – Where the deals market stands today 9:38 – Deals outlook for 2026 17:35 – Expected IPOs and financing trends for 2026 25:28 – What finance leaders and teams can do now to prepare For more read our publications, US Capital Markets 2026 Outlook—IPO markets look primed to accelerate in 2026 and The next wave of M&A: Bigger and bolder deals driven by AI and private equity—US Deals 2026 outlook . Also, be sure to follow this podcast on your favorite podcast app and

You can listen to Deals outlook 2026: Preparing finance teams for what’s ahead online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Deals outlook 2026: Preparing finance teams for what’s ahead is an episode from PwC's CFOdirect podcast by PwC.

This episode is 37:41 long.

This episode was published on Jan 15, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from PwC's CFOdirect podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.