Artificial Intelligence (AI) has immense potential as a solution for cybersecurity vulnerabilities in M&A deals. Generally, M&A deals generate value and as such, understanding vulnerabilities on the acquirer and target sides is important for completion of the transaction. With the common usage of networks and servers to store high volumes of data by corporations, vetting for cybersecurity attacks has become a … Continue reading
A payments industry that was stagnant and stale for decades has recently entered a transformational and disruptive period of innovation, with seemingly boundless growth ahead. Payments players have engaged in record-setting levels of global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity over the course of the past few years, but 2019 is poised to be yet another … Continue reading
On February 21, 2019, Blackberry completed its acquisition of Cylance, a privately-held artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity company. Acquisitions of AI companies like Cylance are becoming increasingly common as businesses seek to realize the opportunities in offering much-improved products or services to their customers. Canada, in particular, has become a hotspot for activity in the … Continue reading
An organization’s technology systems are an integral part of its business. Integrated into all aspects of its operations, the possible failure of these systems has been the top concern in Allianz Group’s survey of over 1,900 risk management experts for six straight years. High profile incidents such as the Visa service outage, where a systems … Continue reading
A vendor take-back (VTB) (or “vendor financing”) is a potential supplementary method of financing an acquisition transaction. It is often documented by a vendor take back note or promissory note. A VTB may be used as a type of non-consideration in conjunction with other forms of financing in order to facilitate an acquisition. In a … Continue reading
Thomson Reuters recently released a report on global mergers and acquisitions in the first nine months of 2018. According to the report, global M&A volume fell 32% in Q3 2018 compared to Q2 2018. The number of deals – 35,543 – in the first nine months of 2018 dropped 9% compared to the same period … Continue reading
With pressure to increase shareholder value from low productivity assets, many companies are exploring the idea of divestures. Yet, a recent article by McKinsey & Company suggests that only 29 percent of divestitures achieve win-win scenarios, whereby both the parent company and divested business achieve excess total returns to shareholders (TRS) following the separation. What … Continue reading
In any acquisition, whether for shares or assets, employee benefits and obligations must be taken into account. One of the potentially most onerous obligations includes the provision of pension benefits to employees – this makes it all the more important for companies contemplating acquisitions to consider potential employee pension plan implications. In a share purchase … Continue reading
Concerns about the term or length of auditor tenure have returned to relevance following the recent fall of industry giants, providing good reason for Canadian companies to reconsider their audit and governance practices. In 2016, the European Union implemented mandatory rotations of audit firms for public companies, which was similarly considered, though rejected, in the United … Continue reading
Recently, the Cannabis Act was granted Royal Assent, resulting in the official passing of the legislation for legalizing cannabis in Canada. The Act is expected to be in force as of October 17, 2018. The Canadian government’s decision to legalize recreational marijuana may significantly impact capital markets and M&A deals. The decision to legalize recreational marijuana … Continue reading
Open source software (OSS) has emerged as a significant market disruptor in recent years. OSS serves as an alternative to commercial software licensing wherein the licensee does not need to pay for the license. This tends to make it particularly attractive to start-ups attempting to keep their costs down. However, the free use of the … Continue reading
Last month, the Competition Bureau issued its revised immunity and leniency programs for public consultation (open until June 29), an important development as it represents the culmination of a process that began in 2015. An initial draft of the immunity program, published last fall, was subject to public consultation and the Bureau made further revisions … Continue reading
It is common around the world for representations and warranties in private M&A transactions to survive for an agreed upon period of time after closing. During this survival period, the seller is faced with the risk that the purchaser may bring an action against it for breach of a representation or warranty. There are a … Continue reading
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 acquisition of a franchise business from a franchisor carries with it risks unique to the nature of the business. The aim of this post is to shed light on some of those risks and to highlight mechanisms, the existence of which can comfort a potential buyer that those risks have been mitigated. Risk of … Continue reading
Effective May 1, 2018, merging parties will need to dig deeper to cover the fee that must be paid when filing a pre-merger notification or seeking an advance ruling certificate under the Competition Act. The fee is jumping from $50,000 to $72,000. In justifying the increase, the Competition Bureau argues that the fee has not … Continue reading
Choosing to grow your business through an M&A transaction or through a strategic partnership or joint venture can be a difficult decision to make. M&A transactions and partnerships can both drive growth and bring access to new markets or product and service offerings, but they also come with unique challenges. While an acquisition allows the … Continue reading
2018 promises to be a year in which corporate culture will likely become an even more important focal point for investors and activists. There’s no denying that social media has drastically altered the dynamic for public companies. Today, shareholders are increasingly calling upon corporations to take public stances on various social (and sometimes political) issues, … Continue reading
Restrictive covenants are often a key mechanism by way of which the buyer of a business is able to protect the value of their purchase. Indeed, in a 2017 review of legal trends in Canadian private M&A, Thomson Reuters has reported that non-competition covenants were found in 52% of the closing conditions of share acquisition … Continue reading
The year of 2017 witnessed a worldwide slowdown in the number of megadeals[1]. According to a recent Mergermarket Report (the Report), the global total for the number of deals worth US$4 billion or more decreased from a peak of 158 in 2015 and 133 in 2016 to 129 in 2017. In Canada, the number of … Continue reading
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
On March 14, 2018, the US Senate voted (67-31) to advance S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the Bill). The Bill, which will only become law with approval from the House and Congress, marks an unprecedented, bipartisan compromise to ease banking rules enacted following the 2008-09 financial crisis. If enacted, there may soon … Continue reading
Voluminous information in M&A transactions M&A transactions can be time-intensive, often involving contract discovery and analysis, due diligence, data room preparation, verification of representations and warranties, privacy issues and multijurisdictional privacy legislation and intellectual property protection, among other important aspects. As deals become larger in value and scope, the review and analysis of the foregoing … Continue reading
As seen in this recent PwC article, global automotive M&A activity was strong in 2017. Automotive deal value increased 29.9% to $53.2b from 2016 to 2017 primarily as a result of two mega deals in the Auto-Tech sector, which PwC defines as “investments in connectivity, autonomous, electrification, ride-sharing and the software, sensors, intellectual property and … Continue reading