Topic: Uncategorized

The (Artificial) Intelligent Investor

Investor advice platforms, at both the retail and institutional level, have evolved in recent years – from the use of classic literature to expanded services offered by brick-and-mortar firms. However, with the growth of app-induced innovation, various robo-advising platforms have taken the lead in providing investors with seamless, efficient, and cost-effective means of advice. We … Continue reading

Evaluating the Legal Risks of Data Assets in M&A

By Jamie Parker on March 31, 2020 Posted in M&A, Privacy and data protection, Technology and innovation, Uncategorized

Data is an essential asset for many businesses, and one that is increasingly acquired through M&A transactions. Identifying and assessing the particular legal challenges of data assets is crucial for acquirers to mitigate the risks associated with these assets and unlock their full value. While issues will depend on the particulars of each transaction, the … Continue reading

Legal update: common interest privilege in commercial transactions

By Rowan Weaver on March 14, 2018 Posted in M&A, Uncategorized

On March 6, 2018, the Federal Court of Appeal reversed the decision of the Federal Court of Canada in Iggillis Holdings Inc v Canada (National Revenue). As we discussed in a previous post, the trial court decision in Iggillis Holdings had called into question the availability of common interest privilege in commercial transactions. The trial … Continue reading

Working capital adjustments: lessons from De Santis and Iacobucci v Doublesee Enterprises Inc.

By Matthew Lau (Toronto) on March 7, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

In complex M&A transactions, there could be a significant delay between the initial valuation of a target company and the closing of the deal. As we explained in our previous article, “Net working capital adjustments: what’s the deal?”, parties can protect themselves against fluctuations in value during this period by negotiating purchase price adjustments (PPAs). … Continue reading

Why have a document retention policy?

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on February 8, 2018 Posted in M&A, Uncategorized

The current digital age has made it easier for companies to retain an enormous volume of documents – significantly more than a company could have afforded to keep before the advent of electronic record-keeping. In response, companies have sought to upgrade their IT systems to digitize their paper records and to allow for increased storage. … Continue reading

Crypto update: January crash, securitized tokens and threats to traditional VC

By Nader Hasan (Toronto) on January 30, 2018 Posted in Finance, M&A, Uncategorized

Bloodbath in the CryptoMarket For the past three years in January, Bitcoin experienced significant price corrections. This year is no different – except for its magnitude. Likely exacerbated by an influx of new investors and a spike in actively traded altcoins, Bitcoin depreciated by almost 50% from its all-time high in mid-December. According to CoinMarketCap, … Continue reading

How are market participants dealing with the retirement of Libor?

By Russell Dufault (Toronto) on December 28, 2017 Posted in Finance, M&A, Uncategorized

Earlier this year I wrote about the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) announcement in July of its plan to phase-out the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor), the interest rate benchmark used to set payments on more than $350 trillion in financial contracts such interest-rate derivatives, corporate bonds, mortgage loans and more. The FCA’s intention is to … Continue reading

Legal update: the Reducing Regulatory Costs for Business Act

By Rowan Weaver on December 12, 2017 Posted in M&A, Uncategorized

On November 14, 2017 the Reducing Regulatory Costs for Business Act, 2017 received royal assent. While the Act is not yet in force, the new statute implements a number of initiatives designed to ensure that interactions with the provincial government are efficient and straightforward and to reduce the regulatory costs of doing business in Ontario. … Continue reading

Artificial intelligence M&A: the new gold rush

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on December 14, 2016 Posted in M&A, Technology and innovation, Uncategorized

While many people are still in shock after discovering that there is actually no human controlling the steering wheel in autonomous cars, tech companies, including Google, IBM, Yahoo, Intel and Apple, have found themselves in the middle of a gold rush for artificial intelligence (AI) companies. According to recent research by CB Insights, around 140 … Continue reading

An overview of global M&A activity: 2015 into 2016

By Troy Ungerman (Toronto) on March 3, 2016 Posted in Corporate finance, Energy, Infrastructure, mining and commodities, Pharmaceuticals and life sciences, Uncategorized

2015 was an extraordinary year for global M&A activity. Mergermarket recorded almost 17,000 transactions worth a remarkable US$4.3tn. This topped the previous record set in 2014 by over 30%. The race for top performing sector this year was very close. Energy Mining & Utilities won with US$630bn in deal value; however, the top performers were … Continue reading