Asia Business Law Journal – January/February 2026

Deals in motion

Bigger cross-border transactions define Asia’s M&A market

Across Asia, the forces shaping business and law are in motion. Markets are reviving, regulators are rewriting the rules for emerging technologies, and lawyers are navigating increasingly complex cross-border landscapes as companies reposition for the next phase of regional growth.

Our Cover story, titled M&A: A new way, explores how M&A activity across the Asia-Pacific is on the rise once again, but in a different form. Rather than a volume surge, the market is seeing a shift towards larger, cross-border transactions tied to strategic repositioning and long-term sector bets.

As regulatory scrutiny intensifies and deal structures grow more complex, both buyers and sellers are recalibrating their approach. Investors are pursuing fewer targets but conducting deeper diligence and more sophisticated structuring, while sellers increasingly prioritise deal certainty and execution alongside valuation.

In conversations with Asia Business Law Journal, M&A experts across the region share their insights on the evolving deal environment, from shifting sector priorities including digital infrastructure, AI-enabled businesses, energy transition and healthcare, to the expanding role of general counsel in navigating regulatory approvals and complex cross-border transactions.

Our Asia-specific report, titled Pitching law, is a Q&A with Kohei Miyadai, who is charting an unusual path as Japan’s first lawyer to have previously played professional baseball. A graduate of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law, Miyadai pitched for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows from 2018 to 2022, before retiring from the sport to pursue a legal career.

Miyadai reflects on his transition from the baseball mound to legal practice at TMI Associates, sharing the lessons drawn from professional sport and the ambitions that now guide his journey in the law.

Our Intelligence report examines how regulators across the region are tightening controls on online gambling, even as cross-border networks and advancing technologies continue to outpace enforcement efforts. As online gambling increasingly sits at the intersection of technology, finance and law enforcement, regulators are being pushed to co-ordinate responses across multiple fronts.

Industry experts share their perspectives with Asia Business Law Journal on the continuing challenge of policing an industry that can shift servers, currencies and jurisdictions with ease.

Our Practice guides explore regulatory frameworks shaping Asia’s technological and economic transformation. In our AI regulations guide, experts analyse how governments across the region are developing legal approaches to artificial intelligence as the technology rapidly reshapes industries and business models. Contributors also explore legal reforms driving change in Asia’s energy sector, while supporting the transition to cleaner power sources across the region.

Meanwhile, our Head to Head series compares legal developments affecting cross-border commerce. Experts examine how jurisdictions are responding to the rise in international transactions in Japan and Taiwan.

Our Expert briefing section features a guide on termination of employment in the Philippines, outlining key legal requirements for employers.

Finally, we are proud to present our annual Taiwan A-List, which highlights the top 100 lawyers plus 15 Legal Icons in Taiwan. This list is selected by the independent research team of Asia Business Law Journal, based on nominations and endorsements from domestic and internal clients, as well as peers worldwide.