Goldman Sachs was the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) financial adviser in Middle East & Africa during the first half (H1) of 2026 by both value and volume, according to the latest financial advisers league table by  GlobalData, which ranks financial advisers by the value and volume of M&A deals on which they advised.

Based on its Financial Deals Database, the leading intelligence and productivity platform has revealed that Goldman Sachs achieved the top position by advising on three deals worth $34.8 billion.

Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Goldman Sachs’ ranking by deal volume as well as value improved in H1 2026 compared to H1 2025, but the improvement was more prominent in terms of value. Its ranking by volume improved from seventh position in H1 2025 to the top position in H1 2026, while its ranking by value leaped from 12^th position to the top spot. Involvement in the $33.4 billion deal for the acquisition of AES by a consortium of acquirers played a pivotal role in placing Goldman Sachs at the top position by value in H1 2026.”

An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that KPMG occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $7.5 billion worth of deals, followed by JPMorgan with $6.7 billion, Morgan Stanley with $6.6 billion, and Guggenheim Partners with $6.2 billion.

Meanwhile, KPMG occupied the second position in terms of volume with three deals, followed by Rothschild & Co with three deals, JPMorgan with two deals, and Morgan Stanley with two deals.