The 10 Biggest Mergers and Acquisitions of the Decade (2015–2026)

• By Clinton Wanjala

• 1531

• Last updated Jan 4, 2026

Top Mergers Acquisitions in the past 10 Years

In this article, we are going to cover the 10 biggest mergers and acquisitions that happened in the past 10 years starting from the year 2015 to 2026. 

1. Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard (2022–2023)

• Value: $68.7B all-cash offer (≈$75.4B at close)
• Closed: October 2023
• Impact: Biggest tech gaming acquisition, added blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty and Candy Crush.

2. ExxonMobil acquires Pioneer Natural Resources (2023–2024)

• Value: $59.5B equity, $64.5B enterprise value including debt
• Closed: May 2024
• Impact: Doubled Exxon’s Permian Basin production, boosting U.S. shale dominance.

3. Dow Chemical & DuPont merger (2015)

• Value: ~$130B
• Closed: 2017 after regulatory reviews
• Impact: Created DowDuPont, later split into Corteva (agriculture), Dow (materials), and DuPont (specialty chemicals).

Mega-deals like Dow–DuPont or Microsoft–Activision grab headlines, but most mergers and acquisitions begin with a business broker handling the business valuation and exit planning before larger negotiations even start.

4. AB InBev acquires SABMiller (2016)

• Value: ~$107B
• Closed: October 2016
• Impact: Formed the world’s largest beer company, though later faced challenges from craft brews and regulation.

5. AT&T acquires Time Warner (2018)

• Value: ~$85B ($108B including debt)
• Closed: June 2018 after antitrust battles
• Impact: Major telecom-media merger; gave AT&T control of HBO, Warner Bros, and Turner, but integration was rocky.

6. Bayer acquires Monsanto (2018)

• Value: ~$63B
• Closed: June 2018
• Impact: Created a global agriculture giant; Bayer inherited Monsanto’s lawsuits over glyphosate (Roundup).

7. AbbVie acquires Allergan (2019–2020)

• Value: ~$63B
• Closed: May 2020
• Impact: Diversified AbbVie’s portfolio beyond Humira with Allergan’s Botox and other assets.

8. Broadcom acquires VMware (2023)

• Value: ~$61B (cash and stock)
• Closed: November 2023
• Impact: One of the biggest tech deals ever, strengthening Broadcom’s presence in cloud and enterprise software.

9. Electronic Arts buyout by PIF / Silver Lake / Affinity Partners (2025)

• Value: ~$55B (enterprise value)
• Announced: September 2025
• Impact: Largest leveraged buyout on record, taking EA private in a deal led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and U.S. private equity.

10. Anglo American & Teck Resources merger (2025)

• Value: ~$53B
• Announced: September 2025
• Impact: Major mining industry consolidation, combining assets in copper and critical minerals.

Conclusion

From $130B chemical mega-mergers to $75B gaming acquisitions, the last decade proved that scale is power but its important to understand that risk is always part of the package. Some of these deals transformed industries, while others became lessons in integration struggles.