Looking back, 2025 seems a pivotal year - a cautious first half building to a wave of mega-deals. The Americas' late surge in confidence pushed M&A value to a four-year high of US$3.1tn. And yet the market remains conflicted, with volumes drifting lower, even as big bidders compete for scale. 

Meanwhile, four familiar forces are carving out the playing field. In this AI revolution the pace is set by TMT, which in turn is driving demand in Energy & Utilities, with Industrials pitching in to meet the growing infrastructural needs. And then there's Pharma, ploughing a separate furrow in the race for late-stage assets.

Momentum is back - the question is, where does it go next? Search for answers in Deal Drivers: Americas FY 2025, produced by Datasite in partnership with Mergermarket. Explore imminent activity with our heat chart and dive into regional insights across:

• Western US
• Midwestern US
• Southern US
• Northeastern US
• Canada
• Brazil
• Latin America (excl. Brazil) and the Caribbean

Will last year's big strategic at last create some fertile ground for more mid-market activity? Look back to look forward.