By Oliver Browne Although there remains no widely accepted definition of good faith under English law, and English law has committed itself to no overriding principle of good faith, English law has developed piecemeal solutions in response to demonstrated problems of unfairness. The variety of these solutions, and the pace with which they are being … Continue Reading
By Christian McDermott In recent years, PE firms have been paying to play in the payment processing sector. From Worldpay and Nets, to Bambora and Paysafe, payment processing companies have proven to be attractive investments for European PE. In our view, a wave of regulation in the FinTech sector will unleash further growth potential, and … Continue Reading
By Thomas Tharakan The average PE hold period is getting longer. According to data provider Preqin, PE firms held on to European assets for an average of 5.65 years in 2017, up from 4.41 years in 2007. Extended hold periods have been driven by a number of factors, including the raising of longer-term PE funds … Continue Reading
By Chris Kandel The European leveraged loan market is going from strength to strength, with a continuing surplus of available credit compared to deal requirements, resulting in very borrower-favourable terms. However, we are seeing signs of a two-tier market emerging, with strong demand and pricing reductions for deals perceived as stronger credits, alongside an increase … Continue Reading
By Gail Crawford, Hayley Pizzey, Mark Sun, and Calum Warren As European data protection regulators prepare to enforce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from May 2018, private equity firms must act to minimise the risk of becoming financially liable for the data protection failings of portfolio companies. After a recent spate of high-profile data breaches, … Continue Reading
By Matthias Rubner, Denis Criton, Olivia Rauch-Ravise and Bénédicte Bremond President Macron recently unveiled employment and tax reforms to increase France’s appeal for deal makers. While France ranks highly as an investment destination for private equity firms, complex and inflexible French employment laws have been perceived as a hindrance — perpetuating the belief that France can … Continue Reading
By Simon Baskerville, David Berman, Farah O’Brien and Alex Hewett Corporate accountability has been a key focus for UK legislators and regulators since the credit crisis, as authorities have taken action against corporate failings. In our view, this focus is evolving to emphasise individual accountability. Developments enacted by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act … Continue Reading
By Jonathan Parker, Jana Dammann and Doug Abernethy Growing economic nationalism is threatening to impact M&A across Europe, as governments and regulators take an increasing interest in “foreign” acquisitions of nationally important companies in the name of national security. PE deal teams have previously focused on existing national security review regimes, including the Committee on Foreign … Continue Reading
By Thomas Tharakan The exit environment recently ranked as the second greatest challenge facing global PE fund managers, according to Preqin’s H1 2017 Outlook report. As buyout firms weigh an uncertain exit outlook, they are increasingly seeking to de-risk early by selling minority stakes in portfolio investments to preferred LPs. Partial exits to LPs have … Continue Reading
By Manu Gayatrinath and Katherine Putnam Since the 2008 financial crisis, the US Federal Reserve and other central banks in Europe have pumped trillions of dollars into the financial markets. Notwithstanding the amounts injected, a liquidity crunch in 2016 is unavoidable and could have a significant impact on available financing for PE sponsors. Several regulatory … Continue Reading
By Catherine Drinnan Paying employees for their annual leave in the UK used to be viewed as a straightforward process, with many companies calculating holiday pay at the employee’s basic pay rate. However, in 2014, several employment law cases raised the issue of whether, during annual leave, employees should also receive an amount in respect … Continue Reading
