When companies explore strategic consolidation, they are often faced with the decision to either pursue a merger or initiate a tender offer — two distinct pathways for combining corporate interests under a unified structure. A merger combines two entities into a single business after negotiations result in an agreement, while a tender offer involves the acquisition of one company’s shares by an acquirer that makes an offer to shareholders.

Determining the best option depends not only on what agreements the organizations can reach, but shareholder sentiment.

In today’s competitive and unpredictable market, private companies are adopting public company disciplines — from stronger governance to smarter tech investments — to attract capital, scale efficiently, and stay ahead.

This white paper, Private Companies in 2025: Scaling Through Public Practices, produced with our partner, NetSuite, explores how forward-thinking private companies are:

What a difference a single quarter makes. When DFIN conducted its Mergers and Acquisitions 2025 Trends Survey in December 2024, the M&A deal market was poised for a robust 2025. Now, that forecast seems a bit premature.

Back in December, 62 percent of finance leaders said they planned to increase their deal-making efforts. These decisions were driven by strategic growth plans, technological advancements, and a strong focus on risk management and integration.

Knowing what could happen to your company does not require a crystal ball. Rather, it calls for a plan to harness data to create insights, predictions and forecasts that can help you achieve your business goals. This is a chief benefit of predictive analytics, or the use of data to generate scenarios that allow you to predict how your organization can benefit from structural or operational changes. Data-driven forecasting makes it easier for you to weather fluctuations in the market and improve your decision-making.

Regulatory Technology (RegTech) is gaining momentum in the financial industry, offering innovative solutions for compliance and risk management. With ever-evolving regulations, businesses must adapt quickly to avoid penalties and ensure seamless operations. Unlike broader FinTech innovations, which focus on enhancing financial transactions, RegTech solutions specifically address regulatory challenges through automation and data-driven insights.

Although the year started off on a high note with a flurry of activity in January, the M&A market in 2024 for the most part has settled back into being a bit of a downer. By the end of the first half of the year, there was a sharp nosedive in the number of deals being completed.

Merging with or acquiring a company is a complicated prospect under the most basic of circumstances, but it offers a wide variety of potential advantages. Cross-border M&As can help businesses to gain access to new markets or meet the challenges of a modern world, but they often require additional work to execute. Wondering, “What is a cross-border M&A?” Need to know how this type of business deal can create advantages and opportunities?

At DFIN’s second annual Activate Executive Summit, CFOs and finance leaders from various industries gathered amidst a backdrop of optimism and economic momentum. With the U.S. stock market nearing record highs, discussions of interest rate cuts and a recovering IPO market dominated the news.

In a merger or acquisition (M&A), two companies combine forces by agreeing to a deal. Whether you are the company that is acquiring a competitor or the acquisition target, the process can be highly involved. Organization is important for both sides, particularly during the due diligence phase. This M&A documents checklist can be used to stay on track and ensure completeness throughout the M&A process.

Investment banks play a key role in the financial services industry, particularly concerning mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Learn more about how banks assist with M&As, including their role as advisors that offer insights on market trends and conditions.