Beyond the handshake: mastering M&A integration

July 2026  |  COVER STORY

Institutional investors increasingly assessed PE relationships through a portfolio construction lens, rather than treating individual fund commitments in isolation. This evolution has reinforced the preference for scale, predictability and repeatability in manager relationships.

The exit overhang: PE’s liquidity challenge

July 2026  |  FEATURE

An increasing supply of sponsor-owned assets is competing for a buyer pool that remains disciplined on price, financing terms and operational resilience. This dynamic is particularly challenging for sponsors that acquired assets at peak valuations during periods of intense competition.

People, planet and profit: exploring sustainable investment

July 2026  |  FEATURE

Investors have long pursued a range of approaches – both active and passive – to express their sustainability objectives, including thematic investing, ESG integration, exclusions and engagement.

Innovation vs privacy: can AI have both?

July 2026  |  FEATURE

The stakes for data privacy compliance are high, with significant risks including financial penalties, reputational damage and loss of trust.

Data privacy and protection

July 2026  |  WORLDWATCH

As artificial intelligence systems continue to proliferate, organisations will require a robust and practical approach to data privacy and protection, grounded in operational readiness rather than reliance on paper-based compliance. FW moderates a discussion between Popi Papantoniou at Bahas, Gramatidis & Partners, Matia Campo at CMS Adonnino Ascoli & Cavasola Scamoni, Ahmed Baladi at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Lore Leitner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Bastiaan Bruyndonckx at Lydian, and Cael Hibbert at McCarthy Tetrault.

Q&A: Biotech and life sciences M&A in 2026

July 2026  |  SPECIAL REPORT

As genuinely novel targets become harder to find, differentiated science will continue to command premium valuations. FW discusses biotech and life sciences M&A in 2026 with Lain Anderson at L.E.K. Consulting, Marie L. Gibson at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Frank Aquila at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.

The European Commission’s Draft Merger Guidelines: implications for life sciences

July 2026  |  SPECIAL REPORT

The most important changes proposed in the DMG are the expansion of dynamic theories of harm, the formal integration of innovation competition into the substantive assessment, the introduction of the ‘innovation shield’ and a broader recognition of efficiencies.

IP strategy and how to best prepare for upcoming litigation

July 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

Patent litigation is one of the most powerful tools available to protect a company’s market position, but it is also expensive, disruptive and highly fact intensive.

Maximising value in divestitures

July 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

Many organisations lose value because they go to market before they fully understand and can explain how the business will actually operate as a standalone entity. FW discusses maximising value in divestitures with J. Henning Buchholz, Brenda Ciampolillo, Lucy Julian, Ryan J. Stecz and Vinayak Viswanathan at Deloitte.

The expanding role of economic evidence in climate and environmental disputes

July 2026  |  MARKET PULSE

Claimants and defendants alike are being asked not simply whether climate harm exists, but how costs, risks and burdens should be quantified, allocated and compared. With Sahar Shamsi, Nicole Rosenboom and Kimela Shah at Oxera Consulting LLP.

People deals: navigating workforce risk and retention in M&A

June 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

Human capital is a core deal lever rather than a downstream integration consideration, as value increasingly sits in intangible assets, capability, leadership, customer relationships and know-how. FW discusses workforce risk and retention in M&A with Chau Woeste and Amy Bishop at KPMG.

Strategic M&A in transport and logistics

June 2026  |  TALKINGPOINT

The most likely trajectory is a gradual recovery in M&A activity, with continued divergence between traditional logistics and freight tech. FW discusses strategic M&A in transport and logistics with Un Soi Chio and Andres Mendoza Pena at Kearney.

Minimising antitrust whistleblower risk in the M&A context

July 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

Companies always face the risk of whistleblowers going directly to the government to report what they perceive as violations of law. Those risks, however, are heightened for companies engaged in an M&A transaction, particularly in the context of pre-close diligence and post-close integration.

Yellow card: the IRS flags US subsidiaries for transfer pricing

July 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

The IRS has identified two intercompany transactions as focus areas of IRS scrutiny – transfer prices paid by US distribution entities for the importation of goods and the interest rate paid on intercompany loans from foreign parents.

Fast, cheap, disruptive: ‘vote-no’ activism in 2026

June 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

As another proxy season looms, ‘vote-no’ campaigns are the danger of the moment and have the potential to scupper corporate plans from New York to Tokyo.

Insurance implications of developments in the Middle East

June 2026  |  SPOTLIGHT

For assets operating in the Middle East, the key issues are not limited to the existence of physical risk, but how losses are caused, whether policy cover responds as expected, and whether compliance laws constrain underwriting capacity or claims payments.

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