Private Equity Exits to Drive 2026 IPO Market, Bankers Urge Sponsors to Keep IPO Revival Going

The 2026 IPO market may be driven by private equity exits, with sponsors such as Advent, Cinvin, Blackstone, and EQT planning to list their portfolio companies. The nature of large companies in private equity firms' portfolios may steer them to IPOs, creating a situation where the seller runs the full IPO process alongside M&A. US listings have been second to Asia since the 2021 peak, but Europe is showing signs of an uptick that mirrors the US market.