Persistent pestilence: parsing PE’s ‘zombie’ problem

December 2026  |  COVER STORY

Zombie companies can exert a drag on economic performance at both company and economy-wide level, highlighting the need for stronger lending disciplines and more rigorous due diligence.

Industrials M&A accelerates toward 2027

December 2026  |  FEATURE

Heading into 2027, the industrials sector appears well positioned for continued M&A activity. From onshoring and electrification to infrastructure investment and digital transformation, investors remain focused on a broad range of mission-critical industrial businesses.

Divestitures: preparing assets for a successful sale

December 2026  |  FEATURE

For companies considering a sale, the challenge is not simply to identify a willing buyer but to ensure the asset is positioned to attract competitive interest, withstand scrutiny and achieve a successful separation.

Agile and responsive: UK sets out digital payments vision

December 2026  |  FEATURE

Part of the government’s National Payments Vision, the consultation proposes a more agile and responsive regulatory framework designed to promote innovation across the UK payments sector.

Bankruptcy and restructuring

December 2026  |  WORLDWATCH

While many restructurings are still negotiated consensually, offering greater flexibility around enforcement and recapitalisations, some businesses face challenges that cannot be resolved through balance-sheet measures alone. FW moderates a discussion between Cristina Gomez-Clark at Alvarez & Marsal, Quentin Olde at Ankura, Mihir Bhatt at Kroll, Mark Meili at Prager Dreifuss Ltd, and Ulrich Klockenbrink at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.

Q&A: Fintech: monitorships, independent reviews and compliance transformation

December 2026  |  SPECIAL REPORT

AI is going to make fraudsters better at what they do, which means organisations will need to become much better at identifying, preventing and responding to fraudulent activity. FW discusses monitorships, independent reviews and compliance transformation in fintech with Stella M. Mendes, Jaco Sadie, Andrew McCarthy, Ayse Duran and Mike Walters at FTI Consulting.

The race to build tomorrow’s financial infrastructure

December 2026  |  SPECIAL REPORT

As regulatory frameworks mature, firms with strong controls, robust governance and well-established compliance capabilities are likely to be better positioned to expand and capture new opportunities.

Funding the shift: navigating high-yield markets in natural resources

December 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

As producers grow through acquisition and spend on new capacity, infrastructure and critical minerals, bonds, secured facilities and project debt increasingly sit side by side in the same capital structure. The high-yield market is central to getting that mix right.

Transactional risk insurance and the evolution of Japanese M&A

December 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

Attitudes toward transactional risk insurance in Japan have become more sophisticated as familiarity with the product has increased. FW discusses transactional risk insurance and the evolution of Japanese M&A with Toshifumi Kajiwara, Shuko Shikatani, Takuya Miyazawa and Sumiyo Yamamoto at Time Machine Underwriters.

AI governance: from innovation to accountability

December 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

Organisations will increasingly need to demonstrate that their AI systems protect people, data and business interests – not simply to satisfy regulators, but to preserve confidence, retain customers and compete effectively. FW discusses AI governance with Taryn Kilkenny Crane at BDO USA P.C.

Automotive transition and restructuring: navigating change across the value chain

December 2026  |  BRIEFING ROOM

The strongest companies are reducing complexity, reassessing programmes that cannot earn their cost of capital, and preserving strategic flexibility through modular platforms and partnerships. FW discusses navigating change across the automotive value chain with Timothy Graulich at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Jeffrey Finger at Jefferies and Daniel Steiner at PwC Germany.

AI, deepfakes and financial crime

November 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

Voice cloning and deepfake videos are among the most effective fraud techniques today because they exploit trust and urgency rather than weaknesses in security systems. FW discusses AI, deepfakes and financial crime with Steven Taylor at BDO USA, P.C.

Navigating global tax reporting complexity

November 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

Technology, automation and data governance now play a central, rather than ancillary, role in enabling organisations to manage the scale and complexity of modern cross-border tax reporting obligations. FW discusses global tax reporting complexity with Romain Tiffon and Marie Bentley at ATOZ Tax Advisers.

Transfer pricing and the AI value chain

November 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

As AI becomes fully embedded in business as usual operations, transfer pricing frameworks must evolve at a similar pace. FW discusses transfer pricing and the AI value chain with Paul McSavage, Samit Shah, Keith To, Pascal Luquet and Charles Marais at Grant Thornton.

Crypto regulation after the CLARITY Act stalls

December 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

As this political defeat came into focus, both the SEC and the CFTC began developing and have since implemented or proposed measures intended to fill the gap left by the Act’s failure in the Senate.

AI-washing: when promised productivity outpaces the evidence

December 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

A business can deploy genuine, useful AI tools and still mislead customers or investors if it treats estimated time savings as established financial returns or overlooks the costs of checking the work those systems produce.

Governing the invisible: a practical framework for AI oversight

November 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

Much responsible-AI discussion has focused on model architecture: its accuracy, testing, biases and training. Despite those issues’ importance, they can lead boards toward governance myopia.

From compliance programme to criminal liability: the new EU Anti-Corruption Directive

November 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

For companies, the significance of the Directive lies less in the harmonisation of the underlying offences than in the introduction of this additional basis of corporate liability.

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