M&A in 2021 - Resilient, agile and coming off mute

We have published our new M&A report, which we have titled “M&A in 2021 – Resilient, agile and coming off mute”, here.

In it we look at the prospects for M&A in 2021 - whilst the significant regional and global questions from last year may not have gone away, there are reasons for optimism. Issues we discuss in the report include:

• the lessons learnt from the impact of the pandemic that we are building into deal process and documentation, in particular around termination rights, for whatever black swan event next comes along;
• the continued rise of FDI regimes and their deployment by governments in the pandemic;
• the significance of shifts taking place in ESG, and the energy transition agenda in particular as a driver of M&A;
• the rebound in activity in the public markets as bidders seek to take advantage of lower valuations; and
• the distressed deals that we might expect to see in 2021, when governmental support necessarily runs out and the true impact is felt in the most damaged sectors.

Colleagues from our offices around the world also share their views and experiences of M&A in 2020, and their outlook for 2021.