Lessons from the Recent Stock Exchange Merger Activity

Abstract

Stock markets across the globe have been the subject of merger discussions following pressure to cut costs and become more competitive. Cross-border mergers trigger a series of different issues to be analyzed. From a transactional point of view, some of these aspects include the synergies that a merger creates, the complexities in achieving an optimal financial structure, protection of minority shareholders, etc. From a regulatory standpoint, there is an array of issues that should also be considered. This article provides an overview of competition issues affecting financial entities—because if there is a breach of competition laws the whole merger might not take place. This will be the pillar of our analysis in this paper.