Looking for M&A advisory

Hi,

I am sourcing for services to help our company with acquisitions. We may as well need structuring/tax advice as advice when it comes to screening potential targets in the region (Asia). What do you think is best a Big 4 audit firm (they do offer these services), or an investment bank? And why?

I do think investment banks are necessary for certain things, like IPO's, but in this case maybe we can do without, and not pay the expensive fees. Any comments are much appreciated.

5 Comments
 
Best Response

It does depends on how much you want/can spend, how are you going to finance the transaction, where the targets you are considering and the size of the companies.

If the size of the acquisitions do not justify spending a >€500K-€1mln in fee, I will take into account Big 4 companies. Also note that for cross-border transactions, IB usually work better since there is more interaction among offices than in a big 4 (international network but not a unique company).

Another thing you have to keep in mind is how you want fo finance the transaction, if you are going to issue new shares or debt, using a large bank for this, you may be able to negotiate with the same bank a decent fee also for the advisory part.

Finally, there is some sinergies with regards to the tax & legal part but I cannot quantify it.

I'm grateful that I have two middle fingers, I only wish I had more.
 

Hi Thank you for your reply! The targets could be in the region, so in different countries, the size of the companies would be most likely from very small, few million, to medium-sized 50-100 million. Is 500k-1mln the minimum, or does it always tend to stay in that range? I think your point on the interaction is very useful. Please share your ideas!

 
dutchmiracle

Hi Thank you for your reply! The targets could be in the region, so in different countries, the size of the companies would be most likely from very small, few million, to medium-sized 50-100 million. Is 500k-1mln the minimum, or does it always tend to stay in that range? I think your point on the interaction is very useful. Please share your ideas!

The minimum... it depends on the size of the transaction, complexity, previous relationship with the clients, it other products are involved (debt, equity, etc.).

I'm grateful that I have two middle fingers, I only wish I had more.
 

The most important thing to consider is how relevant the experience is of the people who are actually really going to be working on the deal. All of the big 4 along with all of the banks are going to be able to produce pages and pages of creds from the larger, global team. You need to drill down and figure out the experience of the individual director, associates and analysts who would actually work with you.

M&A is pretty commoditized in that all of the firms can do it, from a functional perspective, but you should find someone who has actually done deals in your specific industry, and that are similar to your specific situation. If you are in the container shipping industry, you should go out and find a team that has container shipping experience. If you are a life insurance company, go out and find a team that has life insurance experience.

Go East, Young Man
 

Eveniet magni maxime non possimus blanditiis provident. Quo sint vel fuga sint cumque. Ipsam consequatur perspiciatis quia nisi corrupti.

Ut architecto est culpa laudantium magnam consequuntur. Nisi delectus delectus voluptatem quia placeat est possimus. Ducimus iste aut saepe. Qui perspiciatis sunt in rerum eaque. Est sunt quae fugiat voluptatem dolorum. Inventore aperiam ea facilis iure ut ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”