General
Latin America (LatAm) Investment Banking Update
LatAm M&A activity slowed in 2020 due to volatility caused by COVID-19. Deal volumes declined through most of Latin America in 2020.
LatAm M&A activity slowed in 2020 due to volatility caused by COVID-19. Deal volumes declined through most of Latin America in 2020.
A mid-tier advisory firm approached Evalueserve for a comprehensive assessment of its client, a retail company with stores across Spain, looking to increase its offerings and scale-up and renovate its existing stores.
Global super-cycles have historically coincided with industrialization / re-industrialization in specific sectors.
The spike in SPAC activity has two main causes: the increase in volatility in the markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making SPACs more appealing than traditional IPOs; and the large number of billionaire investors and bulge bracket banks sponsoring SPACs, which caught the attention of the public
The COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns brought the global M&A market to a halt in H1 2020. Both domestic and cross-border deals declined, amid the pandemic-induced uncertainties.
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) published the draft proposal of a new standard, General Presentation and Disclosures in December 2019, which is expected to replace the existing IAS 1.
In 2020, the technology sector witnessed the highest growth with more than 42% returns, which were more than double the returns (on average 18.9%) generated over the last decade
We take a look at the top 10 countries by M&A volume and evaluate how are they performing with regard to dealing with COVID-19 uncertainties, economic activity, and M&A deal making.
M&A in APAC increased by 15% in 2020 primarily due to a surge of activity in Q3 2020 and activity started recovering at the end of H1 2020; strong H2 2020 ensured double digit
growth for the full year.
The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the world in 2020. No one anticipated the social and economic scenarios that unfolded in 2020. However, 2021 started on a positive note, with the rollout of the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination programs across many countries.
Fintech stocks outperforming other stocks in the FIG sub-sector and banking remains the most affected sub-sector due to deteriorating loan portfolios and low
interest rates
The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the North American consumer and retail sector in 2020. The nature of consumer spending changed drastically in 2020, as shoppers focused on buying essential items, rather than non-essentials.
The banking industry’s creditworthiness remains closely tied to the economic performance of sovereign agents during times when the IMF and IDB forecast GDP losses between 8-10% for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020.
COVID-19 has shut down large segments of the economy despite complete lockdowns being lifted in most countries, since negative effects caused by the disruption in supply chains and social-distancing restrictions has caused the risk of mass loan defaults to continue to mount.
If Standard Due Diligence cannot answer these questions, Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) is required. If EDD is unable to answer these questions, the determination may be that the client relationship/transaction is not appropriate for the institution performing the due diligence.
Through our proposed solution, we see the addition of shame to financial institutions’ vocabulary as an essential tool to empathetically and respectfully reach those who have been greatly affected by the pandemic.
Strong Rebound in M&A in Q3 2020 with Value of Announced Deals up 41% Y-o-Y and strong ECM Activity across IPOs, Follow-ons, and Convertibles
SPACs have no commercial operations and are formed exclusively to raise capital via IPO, with the only purpose of acquiring an existing company, which generally is unidentified, within a predetermined period up to 24 months. After the acquisition, the acquired company automatically turns into a public company.
Most global asset managers have multiple market and competitive intelligence teams spread across the enterprise that is responsible for providing market insights.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on global economies. However, as the COVID-19 curve begins to flatten, economies across the world are starting to recover. Considering the current situation, consumer and retail companies are also preparing to operate in a new economic reality.
The six largest economies of LatAm – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru – are among the top 12 countries with the most coronavirus cases in the world, which has led to negative GDP forecasts for 2020, depreciation of local currencies and deterioration in credit profiles.
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The volume of M&A activity in APAC increased by 13% YTD compared to 2019 and aggregated to $585bn, primarily due to higher deal volumes in China and Japan.
We take a look at the top 10 countries by M&A volume and how they are faring with regard to COVID-19, their economy, and M&A dealmaking. We assign a recovery score indicating their extent of recovery so far and how much they need to do to achieve a pre-COVID-19 level of normalcy.
Before we delve into the post-pandemic scenarios, here is a quick recap of the developments in the LNG market: The first six months of 2020 were one of the most turbulent phases for the market.
Perpetual (always fresh) Know Your Customer (PKYC) is the ongoing process by which financial organizations continuously aggregate and update customer information with the aim to use it for risk management.
The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the already debt-laden oil & gas companies. Many companies are finding it difficult to sustain amid the current crude price levels. This is leading to a growing wave of bankruptcies in the sector.
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A mid-tier advisory firm, approached Evalueserve to conduct comprehensive assessments on buyers for their client.
A mid-tier corporate finance and restructuring advisory firm focused on the UK market was also facing these challenges.
Our Research and Development (R&D) team combined both intellectual property (IP) research and business research approaches to identify suitable FinTech companies and startups for the client.
RPA for Model Risk Management has become a rising topic in the risk and compliance space, as Model Risk Management (MRM) teams have started to look at the use of robotic process automation (RPA) to help ensure that their models are meeting regulatory requirements and the bank’s financial standards.
The global economy is still reeling under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting June 2020, many economies began lifting lockdown measures that were implemented to curb the spread of the virus.
Globally, the M&A activity slowed down in H1 2020, with USD1.2 trillion of deals announced during the period, which was the lowest first half value recorded since H1 2013. The number of announced deals during the period also declined to a six year-low.
Fintech stocks outperformed the S&P 500 due to a strong demand for digitalization. Banking stocks, on the other hand, have suffered the most due to existing pressure on margins due to the recent cuts in interest rates and expected continuous increase in non-performing loans due to the overall economic slowdown.
The shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lockdown measures adopted to contain it, have had a debilitating effect on the global economy. According to the World Bank, the global economy will likely contract by 5.2% in 2020.
The disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has severely impacted the retail sector. Although the outlook is positive for essential businesses (such as groceries) and businesses equipped with digital operations, brick and mortar retail stores are looking at huge losses and the risk of bankruptcy.
A large diversified company had portfolios in apparel, home appliances, and more.
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COVID-19 has infected more than 11 million people globally. To control the pandemic, countries were forced to impose lockdowns and social distancing measures. Although several countries have re-started economic activities, the crisis has had a significant impact on the world economy. As per IMF estimates, global economy is expected to shrink by 4.9% in 2020.
The economic slowdown due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus globally resulted in a historical dip in the S&P 500 index. Just a month after its record high, the S&P 500 was down 31%.
COVID-19 adversely affected the FIG sub-sectors, compelling firms to take drastic measures to mitigate long-term risks.
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Examining private equity interest in struggling sectors such as automobile, travel, oil and gas, and power reveals declines in deals and investments. This article suggests strategies for firms to navigate the crisis.
COVID-19 could wipe off 13–30 MMT of LNG demand in 2020. The industry is battling depressed downstream demand, low prices, high storage levels, and increased concerns over the viability of projects and supply cuts.
As of early May, school and university closures have impacted more than 70% of the global student population (over 1.3 billion learners). The education sector (both public and private) has faced the largest disruption in recent history.
As financial models increasingly adopt machine learning and other advanced technologies, the need becomes pressing to adopt objective validation standards for determining their fitness for purpose. In this article, we detail a three-step process for detecting unintended biases which is our contribution toward the establishment of such standards.
The CEE economies are readying for a severe recession and the banks are bracing for defaults in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown.
The global market has been heavily impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting M&A trends across sectors. The announced global M&A deal volume reduced 34% on a YoY basis to $780 billion as of April 23, 2020 and is most likely to continue declining through the second quarter.
It will be during 2021 where we could truly expect the recovery to begin, assuming that the demand effects of Covid-19 are mitigated by then.
Even as COVID-19 continues to spread, the burden of the disease is asymmetrically distributed; countries find themselves at different stages of the pandemic. Some nations that succeeded in initial containment of the virus, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, are now witnessing a resurgence
Inflow of customers drives the Hotel industry. Decline in inflow due to postponement or cancellation of corporate travel – meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) – due to Covid-19 have significantly reduced occupancy levels.
The dampening impact of COVID-19 is expected to continue in Q2 2020. The most optimistic GDP turnaround estimate, to pre-Covid-19 levels, is 4–6 quarters.
Ripple effects of demand shock from COVID-19, felt across the value chain. Given the current state of outbreak it’s unlikely that the demand loss from COVID-19 would diminish before Q3 2020 and despite the optimistic recovery, 2020 oil demand will still face substantial decline.
Economic recession inevitable in 2020, but quick rebound expected in 2021. Global copper demand to decline 1.7%, USD/CLP increased 19.2% since social unrest.
Mining Industry: Impact of COVID-19 changed from moderate to high within March 2020. Companies are resorting to production slowdown, complete shutdown, demobilization of
workforce, and shuttering / isolation of operations.
Amid a global crisis of unprecedented scale, professional advice, expertise, and active support are more critical than ever for business leaders across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic not only ends an uninterrupted bull run since the global financial crisis of 2007–08, but also stress-tests business models, global supply chains, and the war chests of companies globally.
Impacts on technology and telecommunications sectors vary somewhat by region. In North American there have been some setbacks. However the tech and telecom industries, and some of the larger individual players, in North America are highly diversified. As such, while some sentiments have been negative, others have been cautious but not alarmist (as not all subsectors are equally impacted).
Global economy is grappled with a severe demand shock, as more than 100 countries closed their borders in the past month. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Global economy could shrink by up to 1% in 2020 due to Covid-19.
In 2019, consumer spending accounted for almost 70% of US GDP and made up about 58% of China’s GDP growth. With both countries being at the epicenter of this staggered crisis, consumer spending is likely to stay low through 2020. Consumer behavior will undergo a dramatic shift and firms will need to adapt to the changing environment while ensuring stricter compliance of better health and safety conditions.
China is almost 4-10 weeks ahead of rest of the world when it comes to Covid-19 outbreak and its implications for the country’s economy. Not surprisingly, Covid-19 had a strong negative impact on China’s GDP during Q1 2020 with projected Q1 Real GDP growth expected to decline from pre-Covid-19 projection of 5.9% YoY growth to post Covid-19 projection of 0.2% YoY growth for Q1 2020. Projections are as of Mar 31, 2020.
Global auto sales were already struggling to keep pace even before the outbreak of Covid-19. China led the descent with its dramatic sales drop of more than 20% year on year during this month. Initially, the Asian auto industry was hit the hardest due to the coronavirus impact, where the Chinese industry witnessed a 79% decrease in the sales.
Globally, the pharmaceutical industry may experience logistics and demand disruptions, but less compared to other sectors. North America and EMEA plan to invest in API facilities to reduce reliance on APAC.
Global oil market was expected to balance in the second half of 2020, driven by production cuts from OPEC+, favorable demand growth, and stagnant non-OPEC supply growth. However, the Covid-19 outbreak lowered oil and oil products’ consumption of the largest consumer (China), and the Saudi Arabia-Russia disagreement will result in an extremely oversupplied market (at least in the short term).
Monetary policies and quantitative easing (QE) across the globe are aimed at promoting liquidity and stimulating credit, but the demand shock will require expansive and ongoing fiscal stimulus. Banks with credit exposure to vulnerable sectors like Energy, Hospitality and Leisure, Retail, Airlines, and Industrial products are likely to see loan-loss reserves increase as default rates tick up.
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A month after April 2020, when oil futures traded negative for the first time in history, markets are still wary, although
Evalueserve estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic could wipe off 13–30 MMT of LNG demand in 2020. The pandemic has added further
A private equity firm that was handling increased deal flow needed to scan multiple opportunities, analyze significant amounts of target company data, and build and analyze standard financial models.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a grave threat for both global health and the economy.
The bank needed resources experienced in Financial Due Diligence who could provide end-to-end support, including creating a full-fledged FDD databook and report.
The feeling of restlessness, both mentally and physically, is something that people find themselves struggling with.
The journey of SFTR had initially started in Jan 2016 and is now planned to become partially in force from July 2020.
It was not long after we rang in the Lunar New Year in January this year, that our entire China team of 350 people were operating at a 100% work from home model.
A premium passenger and commercial automotive manufacturer was looking to stay ahead of the curve by pre-empting the disruptive trend of vehicle sharing and co-ownership.
A global specialty chemicals company was facing a constant challenge in building an efficient decision-support system when streamlining its innovation pipeline.
The global markets research team of a leading European investment bank had been reeling under ever-increasing cost pressure.
An oil & gas supermajor in Europe had aggressive production increase targets where a large portion of their strategy was dependent upon inorganic expansion.
A top global bank needed our help with making process improvements to flag high-risk accounts.
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Evalueserve helped a Big 4 audit firm reassess their business model according to thought leaders within their client base.
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We helped a global real estate investment and management firm save over 5,000 hours annually by streamlining the process of creating, storing, and accessing key data.
Our client was looking for an experienced firm to undertake strategic research-related innovations for its global team of consultants.
A leading global law firm faced difficulty with prioritizing top business opportunities within the Asia Pacific region.
What is the role of the shadow banking in China’s economy and how does it develop under the impact of crackdown and a raging trade war? Check out this blog article for more details.
The once revered LIBOR fell out of favor after banks manipulated it to boost profits. With the FCA deciding to phase it out completely by 2021, companies will need to change their systems within a short span of two years. Are you prepared?
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We used a combination of automation and process redesign to improve both speed and information quality, freeing up analysts’ time and improving the quality of portfolio managers’ decisions too.
To secure sustainable growth and deliver high-quality services to their end clients, banks need skilled offshore teams who can support their business throughout the index life cycle.
We helped the Global Markets Research team of a leading European investment bank dramatically improve efficiency, freeing them up to explore new ways to add value.
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Saudi Arabia’s macro-economic indicators have put a big question mark on the sustainability of Saudi riyal (SAR) peg to the US dollar at 3.75. Devaluation appears to be the only potent weapon for the kingdom to rein in soaring fiscal deficit, without constraining economic growth.
We asked 260 procurement professionals, in 14 industries worldwide, about the problems and priorities they face. Our findings, summarized in this exclusive survey report, feature the four key trends shaping the procurement landscape today.
Cognitive technology is transforming the way firms do business. In this article we explore how forward-looking companies around the world are putting cognitive technology to work across a range of business functions.
Consumer behavior is changing fast, business environments are increasingly volatile, and more and more marketplaces are going digital. In this turbulent landscape, it’s no wonder that securing organic, profitable incremental growth is the single most important challenge facing corporations today.
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MICI for Asset & Wealth Management
CI for Management Consulting Firms
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