GoKawiilCybersecurity M&A heads for record 450 deals in 2026, says Momentum Cyber
Momentum Cyber projects cybersecurity acquisitions will rise to roughly 450 deals in 2026, up from 404 last year, even as the number of funding rounds slips to an annualized 754 from 820. The firm points to identity management, non-human identity, data security, agentic security, runtime protection and operational-technology security as the hottest categories, citing recent deals like Cyera's $1 billion acquisition of Oasis Security and Cisco's purchases of Astrix Security and WideField Security.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Momentum Cyber CEO Eric McAlpine attributes the acceleration to urgency around AI-native security tools and AI-automated attacks, suggesting buyers feel pressure to acquire capabilities rather than build them from scratch. The split between smaller funding rounds and larger acquisitions could indicate that investors see consolidation, not new startup formation, as the faster route to AI-security capability this cycle.
- Projected 2026 cybersecurity M&A deals: ~450, up from 404 in 2025
- Funding rounds are declining even as acquisition activity rises
- Hot categories include identity management, agentic security, and OT security
Source: darkreading.com — Robert Lemos, 2026-10-09
Published there as: “AI Scramble Drives Cybersecurity M&A Boom”
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