MAGAZINE
May 2021 Issue
Financier Worldwide Magazine
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COVER STORY
As new innovations propel artificial intelligence (AI) forward, great strides are being made to improve efficiency, performance and productivity across industries. The global AI market has rocketed in recent years. According to UBS, the AI industry was a $5bn marketplace…
FEATURES
Cautious confidence: M&A in 2021
2020 was a year like no other for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. Though activity began relatively slowly, there was significant potential for transaction volumes to increase before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic took hold at the end of the first quarter…
Cashless society: the future of digital payments
The future of money is envisioned as a digital paradise by many. A world in which all financial transactions are carried out purely through non-analogue means – a veritable cashless society. Increasingly, we are seeing traditional banks and physical cash losing out to…
Cyber attacks and data breaches can have a hugely negative impact on brand perception, investor confidence and company valuation. As a result, organisations must put preventative measures in place to mitigate the risks, as well as responsive solutions to limit the impact..
Investigation, interpretation and enforcement: FCA in the COVID-19 era
The False Claims Act (FCA) is the federal government’s primary litigation tool in combatting fraud against the US, typically perpetrated by federal contractors that defraud governmental programmes. Its efficacy is substantiated by the billions of dollars that have been clawed back…
Calming conflict: emotional intelligence in the workplace
Conflict is a constant in life. Every day, large or small, conflict permeates society, relationships and the workplace. Of course, realistically, some degree of conflict between workers is inevitable – the key is knowing how to prevent a dispute from spiralling. Moreover, while the potential…
ROUNDTABLE
THE PANELLISTS: Gillian Holgate at Allen & Overy LLP, Michael J. Ulmer at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Stephen I. Glover at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and Thomas W. Greenberg at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Spin off and carve out transaction activity was adversely impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and resulting business disruption, with many divestiture processes put on hold amid global uncertainty. However, with market participants regaining confidence…
SPECIAL REPORT
Business strategy & operations
Q&A: Data analytics and credit decisioning capabilities
FW discusses data analytics and credit decisioning capabilities with Chris Neale and Damian Hales at Deloitte.
Closer than you think – quantum computing in finance
BMNP Strategies LLC There are two competing narratives on quantum computing. The first is that the technology is overhyped, still in its infancy, beset by enormous technical challenges and that full-scale, reliable quantum computers are decades away. The second is that many companies…
What it takes to navigate the insurance strategy-to-execution gap
FTI Consulting Insurance is a notably complex and competitive industry with organisations experiencing balance sheet, profit and loss, and operational pressures from multiple sources. With the business landscape, customer and regulatory requirements all becoming more complex and uncertain…
Setting strategy and taking growth to the next level
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP Every year, top management teams meet in dull boardrooms to review past performance, assess goals and objectives for the coming year, and define their strategy, internally and vis-à-vis their competitors. The reality, however, quickly intrudes. Teams could discuss the best…
Measuring innovation: how logic models can help
Frontier Economics Innovation is notoriously hard to measure. Articulating it, managing it and monitoring it are challenging tasks in any industry. But logic models – a tool from the world of public policy – can provide clarity among the confusion. Here, we look at why measuring innovation…
Taking back control of e-discovery
BDO The speed in which new information is created is a challenge for businesses around the world and results in data identification, collection, analysis and review complexities for legal professionals. IDC predicts that by 2025 the “global datasphere will grow from 33 Zettabytes (ZB) in 2018 to 175 ZB”…
Key requirements of a supply chain compliance programme for durable goods manufacturers
Assent Compliance, Inc. The last decade has seen a convergence of two dominant geopolitical trends that have been shaping global trade and international relations over the past 50 years. Globalisation, and the outsourcing of production, has intersected with increased social awareness focused on the rising power…
Risk management lessons from winter weather
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey decimated Houston and most of south Texas. Unfortunately, most of the damage to Houston came not from the storm itself but from the man-made event which was the opening of the floodgates on earthen dams on the west side of Houston. When the dams…
Anti-corruption practices and strong commercial relationships
Guerrero C&L Around the world, corruption is a serious obstacle to doing fair and reliable business. It happens not only in the public sector, but also in the private. Its social and economic impact is very significant to the extent that the adoption of compliance programmes is a common response around the world…
Q&A: Returning to work in the new normal
FW discusses returning to work in the new normal with Jerome Ryan at BDO.
TALKINGpoint
Post-M&A and W&I insurance disputes
FW discusses post-M&A and W&I insurance disputes with Ingo Schleis and Christoph Kaiser at KPMG Germany.
FW discusses 5G businesses with Rolf Meakin, Chris Bartlett and Matthew Duffey at PwC.
COVID-19: rethinking anti-money laundering (AML) and fraud risk management
FW discusses the impact of COVID-19 on anti-money laundering and fraud risk management with Keith D. Andrzejewski, Carl E. Case III, Brian L. Ferrell, Kristin Milchanowski Gilkes and Thomas P. O’Donnell at Ernst & Young LLP.
Advanced analytics and digital disruption in infrastructure projects
FW discusses advanced analytics and digital disruption in infrastructure projects with Clay Gilge, Jordan Thomson, Suneel Vora and Gary Webster at KPMG.
FW discusses the outlook for construction with Erin Roberts, Fernando Gonzalez Cuervo and Axel Schäfer at EY.
DEALfront
mergers & acquisitions
AerCap to buy General Electric leasing unit for $30bn
AerCap Holdings N.V. has agreed to acquire the jet leasing business of rival General Electric in a deal worth $30bn. Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of AerCap and GE, GE will receive 111.5 million newly issued…
Rogers Communications to buy rival Shaw for $26bn
In an agreement which will create new jobs and investment in Western Canada and accelerate the rollout of 5G networks, Rogers Communications is to acquire Shaw Communications in a transaction valued at $26bn. Under the terms of the transaction, holders of Shaw…
private equity & venture capital
PE groups to buy Extended Stay in $6bn deal
Private equity (PE) firms Blackstone Group and Starwood Capital Group have agreed to acquire hotel operator Extended Stay America in a $6bn deal. Under the terms of the deal, Extended Stay has agreed to be acquired for $19.50 per paired share in the all-cash transaction…
Talend taken private in $2.4bn deal
In a move that builds upon its leadership position in the cloud data integration market, open source data integration platform Talend is to be acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in a transaction valued at $2.4bn. Under the terms of the acquisition, Thoma Bravo will…
bankruptcy & corporate restructuring
HighPoint Resources files for Chapter 11 protection
HighPoint Resources Corp has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of a pre-packaged reorganisation plan and merger with Colorado-based oil & gas operator Bonanza Creek Energy Inc. HighPoint, a shale oil producer based in Denver, made the voluntary filing on 14 March…
Sundance Energy files for Chapter 11
Another victim of market volatility and the ongoing impact of coronavirus (COVID-19), onshore independent oil and natural gas company Sundance Energy, along with its affiliates, has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of the Chapter 11 process…
SPOTlight
Financing the sustainable development goals
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP The adoption of sustainable finance continues apace and proved a shining light in a year otherwise dominated by the pandemic in 2020. Refinitiv recently reported that global sustainable bond issuances were over $544bn for 2020, double the previous year. Debt instruments…
Investigation units at financial institutions – specialised in chasing dirty money
PwC The prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing is not limited to staying abreast of new regulations and updating internal guidelines. When questioning and optimising their own setups, financial institutions (FI) should consider both current legal requirements, as well…
CONTRIBUTORS
Allen & Overy LLP
Assent Compliance, Inc.
BDO
BMNP Strategies LLC
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Deloitte
Ernst & Young LLP
EY
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Frontier Economics
FTI Consulting
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Guerrero C&L
KPMG
KPMG Germany
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
PwC
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP