J.P. Morgan

Evolving financing conditions, strategic consolidation and new capital sources are creating opportunities for M&A. J.P. Morgan forecasts the deal cycle ahead.

M&A activity may have moderated in the third quarter, but year-to-date momentum remains strong. Looking ahead, we see four forces shaping the next phase of the cycle: AI-led disruption, evolving private-company dynamics, strategic investment across industries, and market forces that continue to reward scale. In our latest M&A thought piece, we explore these themes and what they could mean for dealmaking in the months ahead. Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4i3ZJco

Treasury doesn't often make headlines. But it can determine how quickly a business moves when opportunity arrives. As companies expand across borders, treasury teams are navigating a more complex environment than ever, balancing liquidity, risk, regulation and speed simultaneously. What stands out to me is that innovation is becoming practical. AI is helping improve forecasting accuracy. Real-time payments are reshaping liquidity management. Together, they're giving treasury teams more visibility and control when it matters most.

Behind every capacity expansion is a financing challenge. Europe's defence sector is entering a new phase of growth. Yet as production ramps up, the pressure increasingly falls on the suppliers responsible for turning investment into delivery. In conversation with Jasmine Tan and François Turpault, we explore why supplier liquidity is becoming a strategic consideration for defence supply chains and the role working capital solutions can play in supporting sustainable growth. Read more here:

AI won't determine the future of treasury. Data will. As organisations race to deploy AI across payments and treasury, many are overlooking the foundation that makes it work: trusted, structured and high-quality data. In a world of growing fraud risks, evolving regulation and increasing complexity, success with AI isn't just about adopting new technology. It's about building the data foundations that enable smarter decisions, stronger controls and more resilient payments. Because progress isn't powered by AI alone. It's powered by the quality of the information behind it.

For most of my career in trade finance, the talk was all about documentary trade's slow, inevitable decline in favour of slicker, cheaper open account solutions. For the first time, though, two forces are converging at just the right moment: rising demand driven by AI and geopolitical shifts, and an AI- and digitisation-led transformation in the industry's ability to meet it. In this article, I look at why some of trade finance's oldest instruments are finding new relevance — and how digitisation is clearing away the friction that once held them back.