IBI Corporate Finance has consistently been the No. 1 financial adviser in the Irish mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market over the last decade, according to the latest up-to-date figures from global M&A analyst, mergermarket.

IBI has advised on more announced M&A deals valued in excess of €5m in the Republic of Ireland than any other corporate finance firm between 2002 and 2011 with 114 deals.

Download the league table (MS PowerPoint, 388KB).

Looking in particular at sell-side deals over the same period, IBI is also well ahead of the competition in the Republic of Ireland in terms of number of announced deals (valued at €5m plus) over the last decade with 83 successful sale mandates, more than twice the volume of completed disposals advised on by its nearest rival.

Download the league table (MS Powerpoint, 391KB).

IBI Corporate Finance has been ranked as the No. 1 financial adviser in Ireland in the annual review of international mergers and acquisitions activity by specialist M&A publisher, Mergermarket. This is the seventh successive year that IBI has been ranked No. 1.

IBI topped the league table for the number of transactions on which it advised with a total of 14 qualifying deals with a cumulative deal value of US$3.5bn in 2011. The company was also ranked top in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005.

Innovative advice

Commenting on the announcement, Tom Godfrey, IBI Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted that IBIs track record of providing innovative corporate finance advice has been acknowledged independently. Mergermarkets analysis shows that IBI consistently advises on more announced deals in Ireland than any other financial adviser.

Cross-border deals involving buyers and targets from the UK, US, Belgium, Netherlands, Canada and Bulgaria accounted for 64% of IBIs total in the last year, reflecting the open nature of the Irish economy and the strength of IBIs international reach.

While market conditions remain extremely difficult, we envisage that 2012 will bring further complex and strategically significant transactions for our clients."

About Mergermarket

Mergermarket covers corporate finance activity in Europe, North America, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. Mergermarket generates proprietary intelligence and delivers it, together with daily aggregated content, on its www.mergermarket.com platform.

About IBI Corporate Finance

IBI Corporate Finance is Irelands leading corporate finance adviser, providing expert, independent advice. It acts for public, private and semi-state companies covering a wide spectrum of domestic and international transactions.

IBI Corporate Finance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank of Ireland Group and is the Irish member of M&A International Inc.

IBI Corporate Finance Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, particularly in the technology sector, has been through a turbulent period recently. From the crisis-related lows to rapidly-increasing valuations, it seems difficult to establish where the fundamentals should be. Is the irrational exuberance back - are we seeing a build-up of another tech bubble? Or, rather, is this just a recovery of a strong sector which was dragged down by the recession?

A recent report by M&A International Inc, the worlds largest independent M&A alliance, examines the key trends in the technology sector:

• Deal-making activity is expected to be buttressed in 2011 by improving industry earnings which should attract financial acquirers
• Business diversification will reamin the main driver behind M&A activity, with companies having the chance to use M&A as a tool to gain crucial access to new operational areas in high-growth platforms
• While valuations seem to be stablising, the comfortable cash positions of major industry players will ensure that the strongest targets will not come cheap, highlighting the need for good orientation in the market
• Stock market recovery is providing opportunities to better utilise increasing stock prices as consideration, thereby making the cash-stock mix more attractive

Technology M&A - hot areas

M&A International Inc has identified six segments seen as the main areas of interest in the future. As well as social media, internet and digital media companies, which are in the spotlight, in the enterprise software space, compliance, marketing automation, business intelligence and storage software have also been extremely active areas within the technology sector.

The landscapes of these segments are undergoing constant change and becoming increasingly complex and significant effort is required to identify the most effective target areas which would maximise future synergies. With the overall technology sector now gaining pace, it is crucial for players to move forward in order not to be left behind.

Download the full report (PDF, 2.7MB).

About M&A International Inc

M&A International Inc offers the unparalleled resources of 47 independently-owned merger and acquisition specialists and investment banking firms in 41 countries in the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Member firms work seamlessly with clients to originate and execute domestic and cross-border M&A deals in the mid-market sector.

M&A International Inc.s members are actively representing buyers, sellers and companies seeking capital in the digital media sector. The alliance possesses significant domain expertise, industry relationships and experience in successfully consummating complex transactions on behalf of global clients.

For further information, please visit www.mergers.net

About IBI Corporate Finance

IBI Corporate Finance is Ireland’s leading corporate finance adviser, providing expert, independent advice. It acts for public, private and semi-state companies covering a wide spectrum of domestic and international transactions.

IBI Corporate Finance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank of Ireland Group and is the Irish member of M&A International Inc. IBI Corporate Finance Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

The current review by the Irish Government of State assets is only worth pursuing if there can be certainty that the proceeds will be appropriately applied - it cannot be used to defer difficult decisions elsewhere, according to Brian Farrell, Director of IBI Corporate Finance. Brian was speaking at the Chartered Accountants Ireland Annual Conference in Dublin on Friday 6 May 2011.

In his presentation, Brian examined whether the Irish semi-state model is currently broken given the structural challenges and limited competitive dynamics in evidence. The current challenging economic and financial environment is now a major catalyst for change, with policy objectives in the form of the Programme for Government, the McCarthy review and the Troika Memorandum of Understanding providing considerable momentum.

Important lessons learned

Disposal of State assets has raised ca. €8.3 billion for the Irish Exchequer since 1991. While precedent disposals were typically undertaken against a much more positive market backdrop, numerous factors have conspired to provide a difficult report card for such assets post-disposal. Nonetheless, important lessons have been learned, regarding core infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, future investment and financial structures.

Brian outlined a number of potential routes to market to achieve value for State assets, including joint venture/minority investment, trade sale, sponsor-led, financial investor and Initial Public Offering. Timing is the crucial factor in all of this but the complexity of the process should not be under-estimated. Brian highlighted in particular the value of a tightly-run competitive process. He also provided insight into current key mergers and acquisition market trends, showing that deal drivers have changed significantly in recent times.

In wrapping up, Brian noted that the review of State assets is likely to be a prolonged process but he stressed the importance of clarity, given the severe difficulties in running businesses against such a backdrop.

Download Brians presentation to the Chartered Accountants Ireland Annual Conference (PDF, 947KB).

About IBI Corporate Finance

IBI Corporate Finance is Ireland’s leading corporate finance adviser, providing expert, independent advice. It acts for public, private and semi-state companies covering a wide spectrum of domestic and international transactions.

IBI Corporate Finance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank of Ireland Group and is the Irish member of M&A International Inc. IBI Corporate Finance Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.