Vlerick Expertise in Accounting & Finance

The Belgian mergers and acquisitions market experienced a good and stable year in 2019. However, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, merger and acquisition activities are expected to decline by more than 30% in 2020. In addition, 60% of Belgian experts also expect a price drop of more than 10%. Liquidity problems in many companies could also put buyers in a strong bargaining position. Finally, the expected impact of an acquisition on future employment appears to be positive. These are the main conclusions of the seventh edition of the M&A Monitor, an annual survey of around 110 Belgian merger and acquisition specialists.

Start-ups and young businesses aiming for growth need resources - funding, staff, material, customers and so on. But why would anyone provide resources to a small business that has nothing concrete to show for it yet? How can you convince others if you haven’t yet proved your worth? A study by Professor Sophie Manigart and her colleagues show that what are known as ‘soft signals’ can be very useful in this situation.

In this Business Watcher video, Vlerick professor Mathieu Luypaert makes an analysis of the elements that played a role in the compulsory liquidation

In this 'What Is' video, Healthcare Professor Brecht Cardoen and Finance Professor Filip Roodhooft explain what value-based healthcare is and what it means for the medical industry and the pharma industry.

It appears the merger and acquisition market in Belgium has reached its turning point. For the first time in six years, the sustained rise in acquisition prices has not continued. However the number of transactions did continue to grow, even though there were considerably fewer foreign acquisitions in 2018. Another striking point is that the acquisition of technology and attraction of talent are gaining importance as motivations for an acquisition. Finally, when it comes to the size of transactions, smaller acquisition deals are on the increase. These are the most important conclusions of the sixth edition of the M&A Monitor, an annual survey of more than 150 Belgian merger and acquisition specialists.

Ensuring effective risk management in any organisation is essential. This report takes a close examination of the practices organisations are adopting to embed risk management practices across the organisation. Using an in depth case study approach, it explores how businesses can overcome the common challenges presented in implementing effective risk management processes and suggests good practices for aligning these to the delivery of strategic goals.

A considerable number of case studies on financial planning have been developed, but it is more difficult to find ones that deal with financial planning in a regulated environment. For the Future Grid Managers Programme, Professor Filip Roodhooft, along with colleagues from the Energy Centre, straight away developed two that play out in the regulated energy sector. In the leading roles are the Belgian distribution system operator (DSO) Eandis, now Fluvius, and the French transmission system operator (TSO) Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE).

Although the 2008 financial crisis is already more than a decade ago, it is still fresh in our minds. Irresponsible lending behaviour by the banks was identified as its leading cause. What determines such behaviour? For his PhD thesis, Thomas Matthys investigated the lending behaviour of banks in three different contexts using data analysis and statistical models. We talked to him about borrowing in the interbank market, the impact of activist hedge funds and expansive monetary policy.

Co-authors Professor Sophie Manigart and Professor Miguel Meuleman explain why the handbook 'Entrepreneurial Finance, The Art and Science of Growing Ventures' is required reading for anyone who wants to know or learn more about the financing of start-ups in Europe.

All too often, risk management is considered an administrative burden, consisting of ticking a series of boxes to comply with rules and regulations. Which is unfortunate, as you may miss out on a lot of opportunities as an organisation. In a recent publication in Business Horizons, Professor Regine Slagmulder and researcher Bart Devoldere argue in favour of a broader, more strategic approach to risk management. So what does strategic risk management entail and why is it so important, now more than ever?