AI boom pushes global corporate bond sales to a record high in the first half

According to new data from the London Stock Exchange Group, global corporate bond issuance hit $3.68 trillion in the first half of 2026, up about 10% from a year ago and setting a new record for the period. The number of deals fell 12% to 10,408, suggesting bigger individual raises. Companies also raised around $470 billion through stocks and convertible bonds, the second-highest half-year total ever, just behind 2021. Most of the big bond sales happened in the U.S., which accounted for over 30% of global issuance. Amazon led the way with a $36.8 billion bond sale in March, plus euro-denominated bonds, totaling $54 billion—funds likely headed for cloud computing and AI data centers.