The covid-19 pandemic has dramatically altered all aspects of life. The acquisition and leverage finance industry has been no exception. M&A activity has slowed down, and hence the leverage financing activity as well. Having said that, there are clearly some defensive industries that have shown resilience to the present crisis (pharma, bio sanitary, food and TMT, for instance).
Uncertainty is affecting the capacity of market participants to agree on valuations, creating gaps between the expectations from the seller and the buyer. On top of that, one of the biggest obstacles for the acquisition and leverage finance sector has been that private equity houses have been forced to shift focus onto already existing portfolios. Likewise, emergency measures taken by governments worldwide to address hardships caused by covid-19 (such as state aid measures or public restrictions regarding foreign direct investment) have also materially impacted the landscape of the acquisition and leverage finance sector, adding a layer of complexity to the structuring of deals.
Originally published by Law Business Research Ltd - December 2020.
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