M&A Market Update
June saw an uptick in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity across the investment sector, with six transactions valued above £5m announced during the month. The result was 15 deals announced in Q2 2026 (compared to the 19 deals reported during Q1 2026) and 34 deals in total for the first half of 2026 (an increase of 13% on the 30 deals reported during H1 2025).
Wealth management and financial planning have been the most active parts of the M&A market so far in 2026, accounting for over 70% of the total deal count. In June alone, four deals involved targets operating in the space, including the acquisitions of Legacy Wealth Management, Parallel Financial, KRD Financial Advisers, and Swann Financial; but only two of which involved private equity-backed (PE) “consolidators.”
Elsewhere in the sector, U.S.-based fintech-focused PE firm Motive Partners announced the investment into pension investment platform Mobius Life, and XPS Group announced the acquisition of specialist actuarial consultancy APR Actuarial Solutions.
Deal values in June were concentrated at the lower end of the market with all but one transaction falling below £25m of value. Similarly, and as expected, the majority of deals during H1 2026 were at the smaller end of the market, mostly driven by bolt-on activity in the wealth management sector. The remaining deal during June was valued between £25-100m, a segment of the market that has been muted overall in the year-to-date.
There has been a significant rise in the number of transactions taking place at the larger end of the market at over £100m of deal value, with an increase of 125% compared to H1 2025.
Private equity, which constitutes PE funds making direct investments as well as investments via their portfolio companies, has consistently been the most prolific acquirer group during 2026, accounting for 56% of all acquisitions. This actually represents a modest decline of 17% (compared to H1 2025), driven mainly by fewer direct PE investments in H1 2026 than in H1 2025.
Separately, overseas acquirers have been more active in H1 2026 than in H1 2025, increasing their share of the deal count by 75% and include several PE firms based abroad.
Notable Transactions (June 2026):
- U.S.-based PE firm Motive Partners announced it had acquired Phoenix Equity Partners’ stake in Mobius Life. Mobius is a pension investment platform serving institutional and wealth clients across defined benefit, defined contribution, and self-invested personal pension markets. It has over 600 clients and £30bn of assets under administration. Motive is a specialist private investment firm focused on fintech and tech-enabled business services companies, and its investment will allow Mobius to accelerate its future growth plans.
- XPS Group announced the acquisition of specialist actuarial consultancy APR Actuarial Solutions. APR serves insurers and financial institutions and operates as a specialist actuarial consulting and secondment provider with over 70 professional staff. The deal will expand XPS’s reach into the UK general insurance sector as well as adding scale and capability to its existing insurance consulting team.
- Dublin-based Goodbody announced the acquisition of Belfast-based advice firm Legacy Wealth Management. Legacy Wealth Management advises on over £700m of client assets and employs 28 staff. The transaction marks AIB-owned Goodbody’s re-entry to the UK market. MarshBerry acted as corporate adviser to Legacy Wealth Management in the transaction.
Other UK Transactions (June 2026):
- MKC Wealth announced it had acquired six firms adding a total of £275m of assets under advice: Sevenoaks-based Executive Lifestyle Planning; Daniel Richards Financial Planner; Buckinghamshire-based Medical Investment & Financial Management; Bishops Stortford-based Peartree Wealth Management; Milton Keynes-based Wealth and Tax; and Cheshire-based The IFA Partnership.
- Mattioli Woods announced the acquisition of West Midlands-based advice firm KRD Financial Advisers, adding £400m of client assets.
- Shackleton announced the acquisition of Putney-based entertainment-focused advice firm Parallel Financial, adding £360m of assets under management and 12 staff.
- Bowmore Wealth Group announced the acquisition of DWA Protector and Rogate Capital, adding £135m in assets under advice.
- Beckett Investment Management announced the acquisition of Lowescroft-based chartered financial planning firm Norfolk & Suffolk Financial Services.
- Eight Financial Advice announced the acquisition of fellow-SJP partner practice Swann Financial, marking its largest acquisition to date and adding 15 advisers.
- Baggette + Co Wealth Management announced the acquisition of Southampton-based advice firm Burgess Williams, extending its reach across Hampshire and the South Coast.
- Fairstone announced it had expanded in Scotland with the acquisition of wealth manager Blackadders Wealth Management.
- Hertfordshire-based The Orchard Practice announced the acquisition of advice firm Wallis Wealth.
