Private Equity Midyear Report 2026: Control the Controllable, Weather the Rest

Bain's midyear PE report finds that firms best positioned in the current environment are building repeatable models for underwriting and value creation and using AI to sharpen decision-making at the firm level—moving beyond AI as a cost tool to a strategic decision-support layer. For SEA scale-up founders and boards with PE or institutional investors, the report surfaces the decision-quality signals investors are now scrutinizing: portfolio prioritization rigor, scenario discipline, and accountability mechanisms. It provides a direct lens on how investor narratives around decision quality are tightening in H2 2026.