Tag archives: PwC

M&A or joint venture: key considerations for choosing your path to growth

By Ahad Ahmed (Toronto) on April 26, 2018 Posted in M&A

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

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

Global automotive M&A ends 2017 in high gear with no signs of slowing down

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on March 15, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation, Transport

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

Canadian M&A: a look back 2017 and a glimpse into 2018

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on March 1, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

A retrospective look at 2017 In Canada, 2017 had the highest number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals in the past five years. There were a total number of 2,274 deals carried out in 2017, compared to 1,956 in 2016. The number of “mega deals”, however, did not see an increase in 2017. “Mega deals” … Continue reading

What private equity investors look for in acquisition targets

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on January 24, 2018 Posted in M&A

According to a report by PWC, 43% of tech M&A deals were funded by private equity (PE) investors. For the deals with disclosed values, more than 52% are in the $50 million to $1 billion range. Private equity investors may look for different factors in a target company than the traditional corporate buyer. For this … Continue reading

Why some tech M&As fail to deliver value

By Jaray Zhao (Toronto) on January 4, 2018 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

In a recent blog post, we explored the reasons why a sizable number of M&A deals fail to complete every year. As discussed in that post, the closing of an M&A deal does not necessarily announce the success of a transaction. In fact, as high as 60% of M&A deals fail to deliver value even after a … Continue reading

Emerging trends in Canadian real estate: mobility, mobility, mobility

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on December 20, 2017 Posted in M&A, Real estate

We have all heard the expression: “Location, location, location” when it comes to buying real estate. Though that may be true for the immovable property itself, the 2018 Emerging Trends in Real Estate report (the Report) published by PwC Canada and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) suggests that the new and emerging trend in real … Continue reading

Canadian M&A activity stays hot, more in store

By Sean Williamson (Toronto) on December 14, 2017 Posted in M&A

According to a recently published PwC report (the Report), Canadian mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity is booming. We recently reported that Canadian-backed equity financing activity in emerging venture capital companies is thriving. Moreover, both funding and deal volume among Canadian artificial intelligence companies have attained record heights in 2017. However, Canadian companies more broadly appear to … Continue reading

A look at the venture capital landscape in Canada

By Nader Hasan (Toronto) on November 15, 2017 Posted in M&A

PwC has recently released the 2017 MoneyTree Canada report for Q3 2017 (the Report), which provides insight into the landscape for equity financings in emerging venture capital (VC) backed companies headquartered in Canada. While it may come as no surprise that financing activity has increased in Q3 2017, the magnitude of the increase, especially for … Continue reading

M&A: the automotive industry’s new fuel?

By Victoria Riley (Toronto) on October 24, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation, Transport

Automotive technologies are evolving rapidly and impacting not only drivers’ automotive experiences but also, the automotive industry more broadly. From assistive technologies like bicycle sensors and back-up cameras to self-driving technologies, it appears that technological innovation will be critical in order for automotive companies to maintain their relevance and competitive edge in the marketplace. However, … Continue reading

Trends and opportunities in InsureTech M&A

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on September 26, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Insurance companies have increasingly looked at technological innovation as both an opportunity to increase profit margins, and as a potential disruptive force in the industry, with some insurance executives estimating that one third of their operations may be lost to FinTech. On-demand insurance that allows a consumer to purchase insurance on an as-needed basis has … Continue reading

Power & renewables M&A deals 2017: gaining momentum

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on August 22, 2017 Posted in Energy, M&A

PwC’s survey on global power and renewables (P&R) M&A trends for 2017 predicts an investment thrust for the progressive sector. In 2016, the P&R sector’s total global deal value was the highest that it had been in the current decade, fueled, in particular, by mega deals for North American network infrastructure targets. Both corporate and … Continue reading

Blockchain technology: an imminent driver of investment and M&A

By Matthew Lau (Toronto) on August 8, 2017 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Blockchain technology has been making headlines since it emerged in 2009 in connection with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. We’ve covered the potential use of Bitcoin in M&A transactions in previous articles in 2016 and 2014. As discussed in these articles, the volatility and lack of central authority has so far meant that the cryptocurrency plays a … Continue reading

Set up for success? Difficulties in M&A integration

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on April 12, 2017 Posted in M&A

In a previous post, we discussed the impact that deal team size can have on post transaction synergies. A recent report from PwC makes clear that pitfalls in the M&A process hardly disappear once the parties have determined the make-up of their deal team. Indeed, the report suggests that without early planning, rapid execution and … Continue reading

Outlook on healthcare sector M&A: the next 12 months

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on December 7, 2016 Posted in M&A, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences

Previously on this blog, we reported that M&A activity in the healthcare sector was expected to rise during 2016. According to a Market Spotlight released earlier this fall by Mergermarket in partnership with RR Donnelley, dealmakers and professionals are maintaining this positive outlook. The Market Spotlight sheds light on the subsectors of the healthcare industry … Continue reading

Merging of digital and physical worlds: impact on M&A in non-digital industries

By Lauren Day on November 10, 2016 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

Strategy& of PwC published Mergercast “Digital Deals – A New Frontier” (Episode 56) in July 2016, which discusses the growing rationale for digital deal-making and post-deal challenges. Particularly, this podcast identifies that digital deals accounted for nearly 32% of all transactions in 2015, up by 20% since 2011, indicating the growing appetite for digital M&A. … Continue reading

No pause button on big deals in 2016

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on October 6, 2016 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation

A recent PwC survey shows that, even after a historic year in 2015 regarding M&A activity, the ever-increasing appetite for M&A will continue its upward trend in 2016. In 2015, 65% of all deals met PwC’s standard for “mega deals”, which PwC defines as transactions valued at over $5 billion USD. This year, the strategy … Continue reading

M&A update in the global metals industry

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on June 15, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance

In the past, we reported on PwC’s ongoing analysis on M&A activity in the global metals industry. PwC released its most recent report in the series, entitled “Forging Ahead: First-quarter 2016 global metals industry mergers and acquisitions analysis” which breaks down the latest trends in the global metals industry, and provides insights into what the industry … Continue reading

Aerospace and defense M&A reaches new heights in 2016

By Bruce Sheiner on May 25, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance

We told you in March of last year that aerospace and defense M&A activity had rebounded after a pullback in 2013. In July, we reported that M&A activity in the aviation and aerospace sectors was strong. Now, PwC’s Mission Control report for Q4 2015 has confirmed that 2015 was a record year for aerospace and … Continue reading

Looking outward for opportunity: China’s M&A activity swells amidst economic downturn

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on May 19, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance

On January 27, 2016, we posted a blog entry on China’s economic outlook. At that time, newly released figures showed that China’s GDP had fallen below the Chinese government’s target of 7% in the final two quarters of 2015. Since then, the Chinese government released its 13th Five-Year plan, which lowered the economic growth target … Continue reading

A buzz of M&A activity in the power industry

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on May 17, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance, Energy

The power and utilities industry has seen a surge of M&A activity in the first quarter of 2016, according to a recent PWC report. The following highlights reflect an overall positive start to the year for the power and utilities sector: Increase in total deal value. Total deal value for Q1 2016 hit $41.4 billion. … Continue reading

Mixed start to the year for the forest, paper and packaging industry

By Kassy Corothers (Calgary) on May 12, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance

M&A activity in the global Forest, Paper and Packaging (FPP) industry took a dip in the first quarter of 2016 according to a recently released report (the Report) by Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC). PwC put the decrease of deal activity into perspective however with a press release last Wednesday, illustrating that while Q1 2016 was not as … Continue reading

M&A in the food industry

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on April 14, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance

As the market changes, so must the food industry, and this has become evident in the M&A trends of the food and beverage sector. A PWC report entitled “An Appetite for M&A” outlines the challenges facing the food industry and how they impact M&A activity. Five challenges are identified as forcing change in the food … Continue reading

Divestitures: minimizing transition costs and maximizing value

By Sara Josselyn (Toronto) on March 24, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance

Divestitures present unique challenges that make it difficult for companies to realize full value potential. Even companies with established competency in M&A transactions can struggle to optimize value. A report from PwC’s Deals Divestiture practice identifies three primary sources of divestiture deal value. Transaction proceeds Transaction proceeds are generated from the sale of the divested … Continue reading