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Analysis

Business and financial services M&A update: Q2 2020

In light of the pandemic, many companies have increased use of technologies to support more online learning, making it easier for them to reskill and upskill talent when new skills are needed quickly. This financial services mergers and acquisitions (M&A) update provides Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC market data analysis that shed light on M&A trends in the financial services industry.

Financial services trends

  • Education and training:1 With COVID-19 affecting the ability to conduct face-to-face classes, many organizations are increasing technology spend to support more online learning. Specifically, there has been a renewed focus on investments in learning experience platforms (LEP) that offer personalization capabilities and skills management. These systems deliver personalized learning paths, channels, and collections that enable learners to organize, access, and share relevant resources easily and are more advanced than traditional learning management systems (LMS) that focus on scheduling, registration, and tracking of a learner’s activities. As the digital workplace evolves, many organizations are looking to LEPs as a way to aid learner adoption and drive engagement across various stakeholders. Some more established corporate learning vendors are starting to collaborate with new LEP providers to broaden their offerings portfolio.
  • Specialty consulting:2,3 COVID-19 is forcing many businesses to halt projects, or descale them to some degree, reducing revenue and new opportunities for many consultants across the United States. There are some long-term technology projects that are performing relatively well in spite of the disruption, as much of the work can be done remotely. The implementation of digital technologies is needed now more than ever as the world continues to shift into a more virtual environment. Companies can use the slowdown to evaluate their ability to adapt to the ever-changing digital universe. Specialty consulting firms may benefit from guiding the implementation of such digital processes, potentially enabling companies to navigate a post–COVID-19 world more efficiently and effectively.
  • Asset management:4 Current investors are aging and being replaced by millennials, who often have very different approaches to managing money and building wealth. Low-fee, passive index funds are creating downward pressure on fees for wealth management funds as they compete to retain clients. The cumulative effect of fee pressure, a shift to passive investments, and concentration of success in gathering assets is driving many firms to continue to take bolder actions to grow, operate efficiently, and engage customers. In 2020, many alternative and long-only investment managers alike could cross boundaries and leave their comfort zones by incorporating new trading strategies, products, and technologies.

This newsletter is a periodic compilation of certain capital markets information. Information contained in this newsletter should not be construed as a recommendation to sell or a recommendation to buy any security. Any reference to or omission of any reference to any company in this newsletter shall not be construed as a recommendation to sell, buy, or take any other action with respect to any security of any such company. We are not soliciting any action with respect to any security or company based on this newsletter. This newsletter is published solely for the general information of clients and friends of Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC. It does not take into account the particular investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of individual recipients. Certain transactions, including those involving early-stage companies, give rise to substantial risk and are not suitable for all investors. This newsletter is based on information that we consider reliable, but we do not represent that it is accurate or complete, and it should not be relied upon as such. Prediction of future events is inherently subject to both known risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to vary materially. We are under no obligation to update the information contained in this newsletter. We and our affiliates and related entities, partners, principals, directors, and employees, including persons involved in the preparation or issuance of this newsletter, may from time to time have “long” and “short” positions in, and buy or sell, the securities, or derivatives (including options) thereof, of companies mentioned herein. The companies mentioned in this newsletter may be: (i) investment banking clients of Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC; or (ii) clients of Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP and its related entities. The decision to include any company for mention or discussion in this newsletter is wholly unrelated to any audit or other services that Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC may provide or to any audit services or any services that any of its affiliates or related entities may provide to such company. No part of this newsletter may be copied or duplicated in any form by any means, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC.

References

1 Mercy Ehrler, “Corporate Training Trends to Look Out for In 2020,” Training Journal, January 17, 2020.
2 Consultancy.org, “Coronavirus May Hugely Impact US Consulting Market,” March 30, 2020.
3 Gary Beach, “Now Is the Time to Evaluate Digital Transformation Skills,” Wall Street Journal, July 20, 2020.
4 Doug Dannemiller and Sean Collins, 2020 investment management outlook, Deloitte, December 3, 2019.

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