Tag archives: M&A trends

Cybersecurity in M&A Transactions: Friend or Foe?

The heavy reliance on technology in today’s data driven world means that cybersecurity threats must be taken seriously. More specifically, with respect to M&A transactions, a target’s cybersecurity mechanisms has become an important part of the due diligence consideration. Indeed, it is important to have a firm grasp on the nature and extent of a … Continue reading

Canadian M&A Q3 2019 Review: Canadian M&A activity remains strong despite a slight decline in transaction volume

By Neil Rosen (Toronto) on October 31, 2019 Posted in M&A

Crosbie & Company’s “Crosbie & Company Canadian Mergers & Acquisitions Report for Q3 2019” (the Report) reviews the minor slowdown in Canadian M&A activity in Q3 2019 following a record-breaking second quarter. While deal activity declined slightly in Q3 (776 announced transactions compared to 886 in Q2), the Canadian M&A market remained robust, posting its … Continue reading

CANADA’S COMPETITION BUREAU IS KEEPING AN EYE ON SMALL M&A DEALS

By Kevin Ackhurst (Toronto) on October 18, 2019 Posted in Antitrust, competition and regulatory, M&A

The Competition Bureau (the “Bureau”) is required to review certain merger transactions that exceed various financial thresholds, based on the size of the business being acquired and the combined size of the buyer, the target business, and their affiliates. The notification thresholds under the Competition Act (the “Act”) are discussed in more detail here. The … Continue reading

Ethical consumerism: a new driver of M&A in the beauty and clothing industries

By Simone Nash (Toronto) on October 3, 2019 Posted in M&A, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences

In a previous post, we discussed the rise of M&A activity in the meat and dairy sector as consumer tastes change and concern for the environment becomes more widespread. Industry experts believe that this trend, namely of ethical brands driving M&A, is much broader than the food and beverage space. Beauty, clothing and apparel and … Continue reading

(Un)masking value: how the data masking market can impact M&A activity

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on September 17, 2019 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection

Recent rumblings about the “data masking” market have put this concept on the radar of many, which warrants a closer look at the relevant trends and the potential of data masking. The information age has made cybersecurity a necessity and the increase of data breaches and malware attacks have led to calls for greater data … Continue reading

“Weeding out the competition” – an update on M&A activity in the cannabis sector

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on August 21, 2019 Posted in Cannabis, M&A

As discussed in previously, the legalization of cannabis in October 2018 sparked a flurry of activity in the Canadian market, as both foreign and domestic investors were eager to enter the space. Notably, in 2018, M&A transactions peaked with over 700 deals completed in the cannabis sector, the total value of which exceeded US$12 billion. … Continue reading

“DARQ” technology and disruptive M&A: gearing up for the “post-digital era”

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on July 18, 2019 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

As technology has become embedded into most parts of our lives, the majority of companies have completed a digitization process. Maintaining a digital platform has become the new norm, and increasingly sophisticated technologies continue to be developed. Accenture’s Technology Vision 2019 (Vision Report), describes this as the transition to the “post-digital era,” where “digital” is … Continue reading

Good eats: rising interest in dairy & meat alternatives driving M&A activity

By Olga Lenova (Toronto) on June 26, 2019 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

As consumer demand for dairy and meat alternatives increases, established food manufacturers are looking to supplement their offerings by entering into M&A transactions with emerging meat and dairy alternative manufacturers. According to a recent report by the Good Food Institute (GFI), there have been 46 completed investments and acquisitions of vegan food manufacturers in 2018 … Continue reading

Uses of blockchain in the M&A process

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on June 20, 2019 Posted in Technology and innovation

We have previously explored some potential uses of blockchain in the M&A process. Generally, blockchain refers to a growing list of blocks linked by cryptography. Each block contains a timestamp and a link to the previous block. When a new block is added to the growing list, it is verified by independent parties on the … Continue reading

Private equity and the “buy-and-build” boom

By Peter Valente (Toronto) on March 21, 2019 Posted in Corporate finance, M&A

Private equity funds are increasingly turning to a “buy-and-build” (B&B) approach to boost revenues, realize value and increase returns. The B&B approach, also referred to as an “add-on” strategy, involves the purchase of a platform company, followed by the purchase of multiple related and complimentary targets through share or asset acquisitions. B&B strategies offer an … Continue reading

Asset and wealth management M&A activities in 2018 and beyond

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on February 28, 2019 Posted in M&A

Merger and acquisition activities in 2018 in the asset and wealth management sector logged a total of 140 deals, up 5% from last year. According to an overview published by PwC, the total announced value of the M&A deals was US$14.9 billion, which represented a year-over-year increase up 72% – the highest percentage increase since … Continue reading

M&A activity in the insurance sector reaching new heights

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on January 31, 2019 Posted in M&A

M&A activity in the insurance sector in North America declined in the years immediately following the financial crisis, and has peaked in recent years. We previously reported on the boom in the North American M&A insurance sector in 2016, where Q1 saw a record high in insurance agency M&A deals with 109 transactions reported. These … Continue reading

U.S. M&A: full speed ahead for 2019

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on December 18, 2018 Posted in M&A

Optimism is the name of the game for the U.S. M&A market. A recent report by Deloitte cites positive tax reform, a relaxed regulatory climate and growing cash reserves as the primary reasons for expecting 2019 to be a big year for M&A. 79% of the 1,000 U.S. corporate executives and private equity firms surveyed … Continue reading

Record year predicted for the cybersecurity industry

By Monica Wong (Toronto) on November 29, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

With a growing reliance on technology, it does not come as much of a surprise that the importance of cybersecurity is increasing as well. In its Mid-year Market Review, Momentum Cyber reported that $2.3 billion had already been lost as a result of cryptocurrency breaches. This staggering loss may be one of the many reasons … Continue reading

Ripples of #MeToo in the M&A world: examining the “Weinstein Clause”

By Jaray Zhao (Toronto) on October 25, 2018 Posted in M&A

A recent report Bloomberg indicates the increasing relevance of buyers staying away from a “#MeToo company” in M&A transactions – i.e., a company facing sexual misconduct allegations. This does not suggest that buyers are staying away. Instead, buyers are developing novel ways of addressing the risk brought upon by a “#MeToo company.” The first method … Continue reading

Evaluating the representation of women in the M&A industry

By Denise Gan (Toronto) on September 27, 2018 Posted in M&A

Is M&A still a male dominated industry? Back in its 2011 article, Reuters referred to M&A as a “man’s game”. They found that only 15% of executives and senior level managers in US investment banking and securities dealing industries were women. A 2011 survey found that 83% of female finance executives perceived the glass-ceiling to … Continue reading

Increased M&A activity predicted as insurance industry evolves

By Simone Nash (Toronto) on July 26, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

The insurance industry is an evolving landscape. The emergence of new technologies and increased competition has created pressure to innovate while casting doubt on the viability of focusing on strategies emphasizing organic growth. These factors may drive an increase in M&A activity in the insurance industry, according to a report from KPMG International. The report, … Continue reading

A forward look into emerging technologies in M&A

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on July 2, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

As previously noted, businesses are keen to shine their spotlights on the surge of disruptive technology, particularly with the opportunities it stands to introduce, the existing standards it proposes to displace, and the upside it promises for bottom lines. In recent years, the rise of disruptive technology has created a boom for some industries while potentially … Continue reading

Waste is picking up! M&A developments in the waste management and recycling industry

By Peter Charbonneau (Toronto) on June 28, 2018 Posted in M&A

Historically a highly fragmented industry, the waste management and recycling sector has undergone a process of consolidation and increased M&A activity over the past several years. Analysts have offered various explanations for this trend, ranging from a desire for larger companies to expand their geographic coverage to a rise in clean-tech and recycling businesses. Although … Continue reading

The Canadian hotel space: ripe for investment

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on May 22, 2018 Posted in M&A

The outlook for the Canadian Hotel segment is looking ripe for investment according to a recently released report from the CBRE. The CBRE Canada’s 2018 Hotels Outlook Report showed that there was strong operational performance which is expected to continue in this year. The report indicated that hotel-investment volume reached $3.4 billion in 2017 and … Continue reading

A healthy dose of deal-making: M&A trends in the US and Canadian healthcare sector

By Hugo Margoc (Toronto) on May 3, 2018 Posted in M&A, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences

In the first quarter of 2018, M&A activity across the world hit a 17 year record high according to Mergermarket’s Q1 2018 Global M&A Report. This is an 18 percent increase in value compared to the first quarter of 2017. This increase was affected by the surge in deal-making seen at the end of 2017 … Continue reading

The tech takeover: disruptive technology as a driver of M&A

By Sean Williamson (Toronto) on April 11, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

A relentless parade of new technologies is unfolding on many fronts – one of which includes the M&A scene. While not every emerging technology will alter a business’ landscape, certain technologies have the potential to disrupt the status quo, alter the way companies operate and rearrange value pools. These “disruptive technologies” can quickly displace established … Continue reading

Is this the end of European conglomerates?

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on March 22, 2018 Posted in M&A

Is this the end of European conglomerates? The end may be in sight for European conglomerates. Activist investor Christer Gardell of Cevian Capital predicts a growing trend of “demergers” in the next five to seven years, due in large part to an increasing number of European conglomerates engaging in in spin-off transactions, or “spin-offs.” Generally, … Continue reading

M&A outlook 2018: find out more

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on January 10, 2018 Posted in M&A

Over the last 18 months there has been substantial global, geopolitical uncertainty, including the run-up to, and the eventual election of President Trump in the US presidential elections, the fall-out from the UK’s “Brexit” referendum, the elections across Europe and the North Korean crisis in Asia. These events have had global implications but somewhat surprisingly global … Continue reading