JP Morgan executives expect this year to be a bumper year for mergers and acquisitions and plan to hire more staff across Europe

JP Morgan is considering hiring more merger and acquisition personnel in Europe, expecting 2026 to be a "harvest year" for M&A activities. "We are hiring in almost every country in the region," said Filippo Gori, co-head of global banking at JP Morgan, during an interview in Milan last week with Dorothee Blessing, global head of investment banking. The bank "has capital to deploy; the question is simply where to deploy it most appropriately." The two executives noted that during meetings with clients across Europe in the initial weeks of this year, clients generally expressed optimistic signals. Investors in Southern Europe are particularly confident, as local growth is rebounding after adjustments and restructuring following years of financial crisis. (Bloomberg)