Weil Private Equity Sponsor Sync

First Quarter 2026 Issue

The first Sponsor Sync of 2026 reflects a market that is gaining traction and capitalizing on lower interest rates. This quarter, we feature a Consumer Special Issue, examining how private equity sponsors are navigating an environment where brands, data, and regulatory risk increasingly define deal outcomes. Highlights include practical insights on consumer deal execution, from evolving antitrust scrutiny that can derail large transactions, to rising greenwashing litigation risk and how sponsors can mitigate exposure in M&A. Our LME Lab presents a consumer-focused look at “drop down” transactions, where brand and IP value can play a central role in liability management strategies. The special issue also includes a DealVision360 Consumer Sector Snapshot, offering up-to-date data on deal terms and market trends. Elsewhere in this issue, we provide our quarterly leveraged finance update, explore the resurgence of asset-backed finance and the rise of carve-out deals in private equity, analyze the New York LLC Transparency Act, and examine the growing push to include alternative assets in 401(k) plans. In our Partner Perspectives feature, Barclays shares its views on valuation drivers in 2026, and Glenn West closes the issue with a cautionary reminder on successor liability risks in distressed asset purchases.

Read the Q1 2026 issue of Weil Private Equity Sponsor Sync here.