All Articles
20 articles in the library
Cross-Border Transactions: Malaysian Seller, Singaporean Buyer
The Malaysia-Singapore corridor is the most active cross-border M&A route in ASEAN. But navigating two regulatory jurisdictions, Bumiputera equity requirements, BNM exchange controls, and dual stamp duty adds complexity that poorly advised parties discover too late.
9 min read
PDPA and M&A: Managing Personal Data in Due Diligence
M&A due diligence involves substantial flows of personal data — employee records, customer databases, supplier contacts. Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010 creates obligations that parties and advisors need to proactively manage rather than ignore.
8 min read
The First 100 Days: Post-Acquisition Integration in Malaysia
The integration phase is where acquisitions succeed or fail. Most value destruction in M&A happens in the first six months, not the deal room. A disciplined 100-day plan built for the Malaysian business context makes the difference.
9 min read
Valuing AI and Technology Companies in Malaysian M&A
Technology and AI businesses require a different valuation lens. Recurring revenue multiples, ARR, gross margin thresholds, and IP ownership documentation determine value in ways that EBITDA-centric frameworks miss. Here is how to assess a Malaysian tech SME properly.
9 min read
Financing Acquisitions in Malaysia: Debt, Equity, and Vendor Notes
Most acquisitions in Malaysia are not funded with equity alone. Understanding how deals are typically capitalised — bank debt, equity, vendor financing, and government-linked schemes — gives both buyers and sellers a clearer picture of how transactions actually close.
8 min read
How PE Funds Evaluate Acquisition Targets in ASEAN
Private equity evaluation is not arbitrary — it follows a repeatable framework shaped by fund mandates, return requirements, and exit horizon. Understanding this framework tells you exactly what to fix before putting your business in front of a PE buyer.
9 min read
10 Deal Breakers in Malaysian M&A (and How to Avoid Them)
Most Malaysian acquisition failures are preventable. This analysis of the ten issues most commonly found in due diligence that kill deals — or should kill them — gives both buyers and sellers a practical pre-process checklist.
9 min read
The Blind Teaser: Generating Buyer Interest Without Revealing Who You Are
A blind teaser is the first marketing document in a sell-side process. It describes your business in sufficient detail to attract serious buyers while withholding the information that would identify you to competitors, customers, and staff.
6 min read
NDA in M&A: What the Confidentiality Agreement Actually Protects
The NDA is the first formal document in any M&A process. Signing it carelessly is how confidential financial information ends up in the hands of competitors, suppliers, or lapsed buyers. Here is what to insist on.
7 min read
The Role of an M&A Advisor: What You Are Paying For
An M&A advisor is not a broker who finds buyers and steps aside. At minimum, they are a project manager, a document producer, a process guardian, and a negotiation buffer. At best, they are the difference between a closed deal and a failed process.
7 min read
Exit Planning: The 24-Month Checklist
The businesses that achieve premium exits do not stumble into them. They prepare deliberately, over an extended period. This 24-month framework gives you a structured programme for transforming a good business into a highly saleable one.
11 min read
Earnout Structures: Bridging the Valuation Gap
Earnouts defer part of the purchase price and tie it to post-completion performance. They solve the valuation disagreement problem — but introduce a different problem: two parties with conflicting interests running the same business. Drafting matters enormously.
9 min read
The SC and CMSA: When Malaysian Capital Markets Law Applies to Your Deal
Not every business transaction triggers Securities Commission oversight, but when it does, non-compliance carries serious penalties. Understanding the boundary between regulated advisory and unregulated commercial activity is essential for anyone involved in Malaysian M&A.
9 min read
Letter of Intent: What It Means and What It Commits You To
An LOI feels like progress, but it is also the moment you grant a buyer significant leverage. Understanding exactly which clauses bind you — and which do not — is essential before signing.
8 min read
The Four Valuation Methods: When to Use Each
There is no single correct way to value a business. The four main methods — EBITDA multiple, DCF, asset-based, and SDE — each serve a different purpose and produce different answers. Knowing which one applies to your situation is half the job.
10 min read
Due Diligence Checklist for F&B Acquisitions in Malaysia
Food and beverage businesses have regulatory and operational complexity that generic due diligence frameworks miss. This checklist covers the financial, legal, operational, and regulatory items specific to Malaysian F&B transactions.
10 min read
Financial Due Diligence: Quality of Earnings and What the Numbers Hide
Financial due diligence is not about confirming that the accounts are right. It is about understanding whether the reported earnings are sustainable, repeatable, and fairly presented. Quality of earnings analysis is the methodology that answers that question.
10 min read
Share Sale vs Asset Sale: The Structural Decision That Changes Everything
The choice between a share sale and an asset sale is one of the most consequential decisions in any acquisition. Tax treatment, liability exposure, and stamp duty all swing significantly depending on how the deal is structured.
9 min read
Reading Management Accounts: What to Look For and What to Ignore
Management accounts are the monthly or quarterly financial statements that a business produces internally. They are not audited, not standardised, and not always reliable. Knowing how to read them — and how to spot when they have been prepared to mislead — is a fundamental acquisition skill.
8 min read
EBITDA Multiples in Malaysia: What Buyers Pay and Why
EBITDA multiples are the most common valuation benchmark for Malaysian SME transactions. This article explains what a multiple is, how it's derived, and what you can do to improve yours before going to market.
8 min read