BSA Event: Mitigating Risks And Increasing Returns In M&A

On Thursday May 26th, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates (BSA), in partnership withUnited Insurance Brokers(UIB), hosted a workshop on 'Mitigating Risks and Increasing Returns in M&A: How Insurance Provides Both'.

Held in BSA's award-winning DIFC offices, the event was delivered in two parts, the first being an interactive panel discussion, whereSimon Isgar, partner and Head of Insurance/ReinsuranceandRima Mrad, corporate and M&A partnerfrom BSA joined UIB's CEO,Ralph Kabban, andJames Wilson, Head of M&A and Financial Lines. They addressed an engaged crowd of corporate counsel and leaders in finance, investment and private equity.

Simon opened with an introduction to M&A insurance and shared an engaging case study looking at an example of W&I coverage. Rima followed, highlighting common client issues, including conflicts of interest, unexpected costs and unforeseen regulatory liabilities. Passing over to James of UIB, who provided further in-depth details on M&A insurance, emphasizing its ability to cover both potential and identified risks and the role it can play in helping close a deal.

James delved further into the many fields and sectors where M&A insurance can help, including transaction parties and advisers, and how they can also benefit, in terms of the types of transactions, before moving onto the insurance available and the purchase process.

Ralph, as the moderator took us through some interesting discussions focusing on

• Whether M&A insurance is a complete risk solution to corporate transactions
• The typical exclusions within a Warranties & Indemnities insurance coverage
• The key considerations for underwriters' discussions with the potential insured
• Client awareness of M&A insurance, from a legal point of view

Our audience also kept the conversation interactive with questions throughout.

Part two of the evening saw guests and speakers move through to our dedicated event space for networking drinks and canapes, to continue the discussion.

Thank you to our partners at UIB for assisting in facilitating this successful event, and to all those who attended and provided their own interesting insights and real-life examples of M&A insurance in practice.