image
Bankers & Advisors

The Most Common Mistakes in Due Diligence Processes and How to Avoid Them

Respondents to our 2nd annual market study reveal how M&A professionals are balancing emerging technologies with deeper scrutiny of financial, operational and competitive risks during due diligence to make better investment decisions.
November 2, 2026
Demitri Diakantonis

Due diligence is supposed to uncover what buyers don’t know about a target, but dealmakers say buyers too often use it to confirm a thesis rather than challenge it. That’s one of the findings from Mergers & Acquisitions’ 2nd Annual Due Diligence Study. From relying too heavily on third-party advisors to overlooking regulatory, technology and revenue risks, these missteps can leave buyers exposed after closing, our experts say.

The following is Mergers & Acquisitions‘ annual study of due diligence best practices, stemming from an extensive collection of industry professionals surveys over the last several months. Beyond the data, we also include notable observations from some of the respondents.

We are running the study over three days:

  • November 2: Diligence Processes
  • November 3: Risks & Obstacles
  • November 4: Diligence Trends and AI
To read the entire story, you must be logged in.
Please log in now or register with us.