ECHELON Partners today announced the release of its 2Q 2026 RIA M&A Deal Report, showing that merger and acquisition activity across the wealth management industry moderated from a record first quarter yet delivered the most active second quarter in industry history.
The report shows that 120 transactions were announced during the quarter1, down from the all-time record of 142 set in 1Q 2026 but 17.6% higher than the 102 deals announced in 2Q 2025. The 262 transactions announced in the first half of 2026 mark the most active first half on record, well ahead of the 220 announced over the same period in 2025. Total transacted AUM reached $378 billion for the quarter.