Conference programme

The session discusses the current trends and future outlook of hostile takeovers including, but not limited to, conditions that may be attached to the offer, delisting plans of the raider and adequate disclosure. The session will analyse the increasing need for financing in these campaigns in an environment with lower liquidity and increasing competition among stock exchanges in different jurisdictions.

In a world where many countries are facing economic challenges in the post-pandemic era, assets of companies in formal reorganisation or bankruptcy proceedings became a great opportunity for discretionary buyers worldwide. This panel will discuss, with specialists of selected jurisdictions, the nuts and bolts of the reorganisation of publicly traded companies and how to acquire distressed assets in such jurisdictions while minimising the risks for the buyer.
 

Securities transactions are frequently used to fund business expansion globally. This panel will explore the use of different types of securities transaction in financing operations such assets, shares and bonds together, with practical examples of the most ordinary financing conditions precedent. Experts from different jurisdictions will present the current trends in their relevant countries in terms of closing conditions in securities transactions.

The development of capital markets in many jurisdictions and new corporate structures of publicly-held corporations have raised the bar in terms of novelties and complexities in transactions and other matters involving listed securities. To address these concerns, as well as the interests of the large number of stakeholders involved in public company M&A, equity offerings and stock markets in general, corporate governance rules are becoming increasingly stricter. 
In this session, we will discuss the duties and roles of the board members in the context of public securities transactions, as the ones responsible for guaranteeing that the law and applicable rules will be respected and that new policies and trends (such as environmental, social, governance (ESG)) are effectively promoted.

Global M&A and, more specifically, public securities transactions and buyout activity has slowed amid a shortage of debt financing caused by rising interest rates and banks’ reluctance to open their money taps. The unprecedented geopolitical and macro-economic volatility around the world − and hawkish interest rate moves – drove up financing costs and weighed down valuations. The number of leveraged buyout deals announced worldwide has significantly dropped, while the overall value of transactions has taken a hit.
This panel will discuss how acquirers are rethinking how they pull off large deals, and the challenges they have been facing in this restrictive environment, after such a contraction in global buyout activity, as the gap between buyer and vendor pricing expectations has widened, and securing debt to finance deals has also become more challenging and expensive. The panel will also tackle the perspectives for the future, taking into account any further changes in the economy and political scenarios that may affect positively deals in the pipeline.