Vlerick Expertise in Accounting & Finance

Only one in three M&A experts surveyed noticed a decrease of more than 20% in the number of deals in 2020. Furthermore, the average acquisition price across all deal categories remained more or less stable. Smaller transactions of less than €5 million did take a hit: there were fewer deals, and acquisition prices were lower. Moreover, the uncertain economic situation led to deals taking longer to conclude, and there was an increase in the use of deferred payment mechanisms. For 2021, the experts predict that the market will recover to its pre-coronavirus level, especially when it comes to private equity transactions. Those are the most important conclusions of the eight edition of the M&A Monitor.

New and digital technologies are undeniably changing the role of the finance function. CFOs can act as a catalyst for reshaping the business strategy and deploying AI technologies. The digital journey, however, encompasses more than the mere adoption of several technologies. In this white paper the Centre for Financial Leadership and Digital Transformation offers insights on how to formulate a digital transformation strategy. Along with an overview of 9 must-have characteristics of a true digital finance leader, this knowledge can equip leaders to successfully tackle the upcoming challenges of digitalisation.

The unprecedented public health crisis caused by COVID-19 overstretched the structures and mechanisms of the European Union, in particular those that deal with emergencies. There is a need for deeper union and collaboration across the European health care sector, as well as a need for a significant financial cushion for rapid and predictably increasing funding. In their new policy paper, Professor David Veredas, Professor Simon Ashby and doctoral researcher Dimitrios Kolokas propose the creation of an Emergency Health Financing Facility (EHFF), which would limit the impact of a future crisis on the EU and its member States.

Despite their thorough preliminary training, junior accountants often lack the knowledge and experience required to apply the law and auditing standards correctly in practice. That is why they are supervised during audit assignments by an experienced senior who gives them coaching. What role does imitation play in the relationship between the junior and senior accountant?

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.

In this white paper Prof Wouter De Maeseneire sheds a light on common misconceptions about finance. Once you know what is behind the terminology deployed in the language of finance you will agree that it is not rocket science at all.

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.