Corporate Intelligence Agency: One in ten Romanian companies access corporate intelligence services when involved in a merger or acquisition

Around 101TPTP3T of companies in Romania access corporate intelligence services when they are involved in a transaction, be it a merger or an acquisition, according to an analysis by the Corporate Intelligence Agency, a risk management company dedicated to the business environment.

More and more frequently, in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) processes, the third major step for companies, after hiring financial and legal teams, is to access the services of a corporate & competitive intelligence company. Its objective is to carry out an "enhanced" or "in depth" due diligence, i.e. it documents, in the field, confronts the dry reality of figures and statistical reports with the reality on the ground, analyzes business conduct, the company's reputation among partners, the organization's culture and other elements of interest to the client who has called on its services.

"The corporate intelligence area is a key component in the decision-making process by shareholders or management of companies. When a corporation makes the decision to invest in new products, services or in another company, it does so on the basis of studies, market analysis, trends in the economy, etc. So the decision is made on the basis of economic intelligence," says Gabriel Zgunea, CEO Corporate Intelligence Agency.

Corporate intelligence is, first and foremost, an invaluable aid for local, foreign or newcomer investors who are unfamiliar with the market in which they wish to develop, and who want to understand the key components that characterize a specific market. It is a support market, dedicated exclusively to the business environment, which aims to streamline development processes and maximize risk protection.

Business professionalization boosts corporate intelligence market

Having become a key component for many large companies, the value of the local corporate intelligence market last year approached 10 million euro, against the background of the growing interest in such services, in the context of the professionalization of the business environment and the awareness that information delivers knowledge and is a useful and important tool in the decision-making process.

In Romania, the customers that use these types of services are multinational companies in the retail, investment, banking, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, IT, oil & gas, construction, logistics, insurance, telecom, insurance, etc. industries.

When companies use corporate intelligence services

In addition to companies interested in enhanced due diligence services, companies that access corporate intelligence services in particular do so out of a need for knowledge about situations, people or companies of interest, knowledge that is necessary for the company's decision-making process.

Another category of clients is interested in improving their risk management and compliance systems, and are confronted with internal fraud or potential internal fraud, which risks jeopardizing their reputation and assets.

In the last 3 years, the corporate intelligence market in Romania has experienced a much greater openness to foreign investors and to those companies that navigate complex operational processes, through a multitude of collaborators and competitors.

But it is still a far cry from the mature markets of the West or Anglo-Saxon countries. Here, corporate & competitive intelligence companies have a long tradition, some with a 20-30 year track record, others listed on the stock exchange, with offices in major financial centers, in London, New York, Zurich, Dubai, etc. Moreover, most of the clients of these companies are listed entities, where the reputation of the brand is sometimes worth more than a financial loss.

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Corporate Intelligence Agency is a risk management company dedicated exclusively to the business environment, specialized in identifying and mitigating potential risks or threats to the security and integrity of partners.