Mergers and acquisitions move quickly, and it’s never been more critical to understand the intricacies and trends in M&A deal terms, a collection of important provisions negotiated in M&A transactions. Using eBrevia’s AI-powered contract analytics software, our M&A webinar panel analyzed hundreds of contracts for common M&A deal terms, such as Go Shop vs No Shop, Gold in Back Yard, MAE and Termination Fees.

This article was originally posted on ILTA.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted trading relationships worldwide – and as a consequence, enterprise contract review, negotiation and renegotiation of contracts are taking place on a massive scale. Donnelley Financial Solutions (DFIN) was invited to participate in an international conversation to address the challenges and opportunities of enterprise contract management during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 Review and 2021 Outlook – an exclusive interview with Craig Clay, President of Global Capital Markets, DFIN with DealStreetAsia

In conversation with DealStreetAsia (DSA), Craig Clay, President of Global Capital Markets, DFIN discussed how the US election will impact dealmaking, the rise of SPACs, virtual due diligence and how having a risk and compliance solutions partner can smoothen the path to an IPO and beyond. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

SPAC Transactions

The numbers alone speak volumes. As of mid-September 2020, 95 SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies) with a valuation of approximately $35 billion had priced year to date, shattering “all previous records,” said Craig Clay, President of Global Capital Markets for Donnelley Financial Solutions. In contrast, he said, for the full year of 2019, 59 SPACs had priced, and even this represented a sizeable increase over 46 in 2018 and 34 in 2017.

Recently, a surge in AI-powered virtual data rooms (VDRs) have proved helpful in optimizing due diligence tasks like redaction. Data redaction tools have emerged to remove key terms quickly and relatively easily, saving sellers time and energy. Where these tools fall short, however, is in their ability to eliminate much of the manual effort still needed to structure and guide how information is redacted.

Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect in May 2018, companies around the globe have been struggling to understand and meet the standards of this regulation, while additional legislation around the world continues to evolve and new policies are passed into law.

Control and security
Most of us are familiar with file sharing sites, having used them in our personal lives.

These services allow users to create, store and share files in a cloud-based repository that syncs in real-time across all devices. Users have some control over who can access, share, download and edit files, but that’s mostly where the control starts and stops.

Let artificial intelligence do the heavy lifting
As with most established technologies, recent evolutions of the VDR incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning. DFIN’s Venue, however, is the only solution that intuitively adapts to your specific needs. It has a number of AI functions that create significant efficiencies, drive increased accuracy and give you more insight into your business and data.