Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a powerful way for growing companies to propel themselves forward and also for sellers to secure the financial future of their families and companies.

As a rule of thumb, ignoring due diligence in a cross-border transaction equals heading for disaster. “Never ever does a due diligence result in a blank sheet of paper, without comments, corrections or concerns”, says Pieter Poortvliet, director at Moore Corporate Finance Netherlands (in The Netherlands also known as Crossminds). “Even though due diligence rarely leads to a deal being called off, there is often a correction to the sale price. In almost all cases, due diligence ensures the expansion of the warranties and indemnities in the sales agreement – in order to mitigate the buyer’s risks.” Since acquisitions are by definition high risk investment decisions, due diligence is crucial.