Goldman Sachs and Houlihan Lokey were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) financial advisers in the North America region during the first three quarters (Q1-Q3) of 2026 by value and volume, respectively, according to the latest financial advisers league table by GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.

An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that Goldman Sachs achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $510.5 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Houlihan Lokey led in terms of volume by advising on a total of 161 deals.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Houlihan Lokey was the top adviser by volume during Q1-Q3 2025 and maintained its lead by this metric during Q1-Q3 2026 as well, despite a year-on-year drop in the total number of deals advised by it. It also stayed well ahead of its peers.

“Similarly, Goldman Sachs was also the clear winner by value outpacing its peers by a significant margin. It was the only adviser to surpass $500 billion mark in total deal value during Q1-Q3 202, recording a 42.1% year-on-year jump in value due to its involvement in big-ticket deals. Goldman Sachs advised on 58 billion-dollar deals*, including 17 mega deals valued more than $10 billion. It also held the fourth position by volume during Q1-Q3 2026 and was among the only four advisers to hit triple-digit deal volume during this period.”

JPMorgan occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $359 billion worth of deals, followed by Morgan Stanley with $351.9 billion, Bank of America with $217.6 billion, and Wells Fargo with $215.7 billion.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley occupied the second position in terms of volume with 119 deals, followed by JPMorgan with 110 deals, Goldman Sachs with 107 deals, and Jefferies with 91 deals.

*Deals valued more than or equal to $1 billion