Covid impact: Million-dollar M&A deals sealed over phone, Zoom calls

Some buyers are insisting on a clause in the agreement that the whole deal hinges on physical verification at a later date with some part of payment kept in escrow

With lockdowns imposed in large parts of India and overseas, the M&A deal process is witnessing a sea change with buyers and sellers meeting only over zoom calls and physical due diligence of assets taking a longer time than before.

M&A advisors said some buyers are also insisting on a clause in the agreement that the entire deal hinges on physical verification at a later date with some part of payment kept in an escrow account.  

India has reported deals worth $47.8 billion year-till-date as compared to $120.3 billion for the entire calendar 2020. A lot of deals which closed