This is the third in our three part series exploring the market forces, buyer priorities and specialist capabilities shaping agency M&A in North America.

Part two of our North America series looks at the agency capabilities and characteristics where buyer attention appears to be concentrating most clearly.

This is the first in our three part series exploring the market forces, buyer priorities and specialist capabilities shaping M&A in North America right now.

ANZ is digitally mature, regulatory stable and rich in exportable specialists. It's also deceptively important for global M&A, tending to be a bellwether for the larger English speaking markets.

Southeast Asia has entered 2026 with a ‘selectively open’ M&A market. Buyers are active but standards are higher with deeper diligence than before and a leaning towards three strategic considerations.

The UK remains the benchmark market in Europe for marketing technology and services. Ireland adds a valuable second leg to that story with Dublin an increasingly important technology hub.

The Middle East is no longer a side bet in global media plans. Instead the region has now become a testbed for the next generation of marketing technology and services.