Dealmaker Q&A

TTR DealMaker Q&A with Machado, Meyer, Sendacz e Opice Advogados Partners Gustavo Rugani, Adriana Pallis and Fernando Tonanni

Machado Meyer Advogados

Gustavo Rugani – Partner of the Corporate Finances practice, responsible for the Belo Horizonte unit. Rugani is specialist in subjects related to the capital markets (equity and debt transactions), mergers and acquisitions. His work is focused on structuring and implementing mergers and acquisitions (buy side or sell side, private placements, competitive bids and others) and capital markets’ transactions (equity and debt), both in the form of IPOs or follow-ons, primary and secondary, for equity transactions, or debentures, bonds, CRIs, and promissory notes and other securities for debt transactions. Has previous experience in the areas of knowledge of civil construction, machinery and equipment rental, electric energy, food, education, mining, steel, sanitation, transportation, logistics and finances.

Adriana Ballis – Adriana is a partner of the Corporate area since 2001 and was head of the M&A group from 2015 to 2018. She is now a member of the Board and of the Social Responsibility and Pro Bono committee of the office.
She is a specialist in Corporate Law, corporate governance, securities regulation, and in M&A involving listed and private companies, as well as cross border transactions. She has recognized experience in structuring and implementation of high complexity corporate reorganizations, equity investments, different acquisition structures and tender offer procedures, as well as in the legal assistance in the representation of companies and investors in administrative proceedings and consultations at the Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission).
She also acts in the structuring of businesses and establishment of companies, joint ventures, consortia, associations, and other forms of businesses and in advising on foreign investments in Brazil. She has worked in the most relevant privatization processes in the 90’s, as CPFL, Eletropaulo (both in the energy sector), Vale (mining sector) and Telebrás (Telecom sector).

Fernando Tonanni – Fernando is a tax specialist with strong knowledge of corporate law and extensive experience in advising international and Brazilian based clients in the tax aspects involved in their businesses. His focus includes tax consultancy, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, financial transactions, transfer pricing and administrative litigation. He is a frequent lecturer in events in Brazil and abroad, besides being visiting professor of international tax law at Brazilian institutions. Fernando has previous experience in a wide scope of industries such as automotive, agricultural, banking, energy, investment funds, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, retail, services, and transports.


TTR: In 4Q20, M&A deal volume in Brazil returned to ‘prepandemic’ levels. How do you interpret this upward trend compared to 2Q20 and 3Q20? What can we expect in 2021?

M.M.A.: In the beginning of 2020, investors and potential targets were trying to understand the economic impact of the COVID 19 crisis over different industries and how to work under this new scenario. Shortly, the business community realized that companies and industries were able to reinvent themselves and that the works should continue, which led them to consider that (i) notwithstanding the pandemics, business could continue and more than that, opportunities were arising in some areas as IT, electronic commerce, logistics, payment methods and Fintechs; (ii) other areas that could also keep moving forward as they did not depend on physical presence, were also good opportunities for those investors who decided going on and keep their investment plans by having “pre pandemic” cash resources levels. In Brazil, the exchange rates for USD and EUR were beneficial to foreign investors, as well as the low interest rates, helping to upward the M&A and capital markets transactions.

We believe the  trend shall be maintained with regards to 2021, as the world economy will still be active, with the vaccination benefits effective in most of the countries and making other industries move forward. Moreover, where there were more losses caused by the pandemics such as tourism and aviation for example (but not limited to those), companies may be distressed assets targets for acquisitions.

TTR: Which three sectors present the greatest opportunities for international investors in Brazil 2021, and why?

M.M.A.: Financial sector, with fintechs consolidating or being acquired by banks, health and telecom infrastructure (fiber network). 

TTR: The technology sector continues to lead M&A transaction volume in Brazil with a 19% uptick in 2020: What will be the main drivers for consolidation in this sector in 2021?

M.M.A.: As mentioned, the IT sector benefited from the pandemics with a greater focus from investors and also companies engaged in the traditional business. For instance, electronic commerce expanded and also became a target for traditional retailers buying small/medium IT businesses. Logistic assets became relevant targets, either for companies of the traditional economy or for new investors, seeking long term contracts with other players. In the banking sector, IT became also relevant, with a focus on IT developments for credit and investments, with a broader coverage of the population and with the intention of benefiting from the shift of the fixed income investments to other opportunities including capital markets ones, due to the reduction of the national interest rates.

TTR: 2020, especially during the period of the health emergency? What factors could coincide for companies to once again perceive an attractive window to go public?

M.M.A.: 2020 started really strong for equity offerings, with expectations of a record number of deals in the year. The Pandemics has brought transactions to a halt particularly from mid-March until late April. Beginning in May, however, we noted several transactions were resumed and this trend grew stronger throughout the year, resulting in a very strong and positive year. We believe the low interest rate (with an all-time low of the Selic Rate) was one of the main drivers to this result, increasing significantly the stake of local investors in the offerings, aiming at better returns on investments. The success of the first offerings following the beginning of the Pandemics served as an additional stimulus to Companies and banks to pursue transactions and the year ended with a very strong number of deals and funds raised.

As to debt transactions, several companies took advantage of the moment to launch transactions aimed at reducing the cost of their financings, and volume of transactions was also very strong, with longer payment dates and lower interest rates.

TTR: What does the dissemination of digital investment platforms imply for access to the capital market in Brazil in the short and medium term?

M.M.A.: Digital platforms, in addition to making access to the capital markets for small investors easier, often come with educational content also aiming at preparing and informing such investors, which were seeking better returns for their investments due to the low interest rates. During the pandemics, we could see increased content and demand for online lectures, seminars and other events which were otherwise inaccessible to those investors (due to the cost and/or the logistics involved for in person participation).


TTR: What will be the main regulatory and tax challenges for the M&A market in 2021?

M.M.A.: In 2021, the Congress might progress on the discussions of a comprehensive tax reform, aimed at unifying different value added taxes and simplifying the tax regime, extinguishing various industry tax incentives. Despite the underlying objectives, the impact of said tax reform over different industries may vary, with the increase of the tax burden (specially for the service industry). Also, discussions may also include changes to the corporate tax regime, with the taxation of dividends. Those discussions and potential approval of those reforms will bring investors challenges to assess the return of the investments, in different sectors.

Dealmaker Q&A

Conteúdo disponível em português e inglês

TTR DealMaker Q&A con Carlos Lobo, sócio do Veirano Advogados

Carlos LoboVeirano Advogados

É sócio do Veirano Advogados e atua principalmente nas áreas de fusões e aquisições, private equity e mercado de capitais. Carlos atua predominantemente nas área de energia, infraestrutura e Telecom/Tecnologia. É formado em direito pela Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro e possui mestrado pela Columbia University em Nova Iorque.


TTR: As fusões e aquisições em 2020 tiveram um primeiro trimestre “recorde” no Brasil, mas no início da crise de saúde COVID-19, a tendência mudou consideravelmente: como você descreveria a situação atual dos players no mercado transacional no Brasil nesta “Nova Realidade”?

C. L.: Passado um primeiro momento de incerteza no começo da pandemia, quando várias operações de Fusões e Aquisições foram suspensas, o mercado começou a reaquecer a partir de junho, principalmente liderado pelos fundos de Private Equity nacionais e estrangeiros. Este segundo semestre está bastante aquecido com um perfil variado de players e setores, mas observa-se uma predominancia dos fundos de Private Equity e companhias abertas como compradores. Setores como tecnologia e energia renovável foram menos afetados que os demais e mantiveram um volume considerável de operações ao longo de todo o ano.

TTR: Veirano Advogados é um dos principais assessores de M&A do setor de tecnologia do Brasil de acordo com o ranking jurídico do TTR. Como você avalia o crescimento do setor em 2020 e quais as perspectivas de médio e longo prazo?

C. L.: Este movimento não começou este ano. O setor de tecnologia vem sendo um dos mais ativos em termos de Fusões e Aquisições no Brasil nos últimos cinco anos e acredito que esta tendência deva continuar pelos próximos anos. Vários fatores explicam esse fenômeno. Em primeiro lugar, uma questão cultural, tendo em vista que brasileiros, quando comparados a outros países, passam bastante tempo na internet e são consumidores habituais por meio de e-commerce. Em segundo lugar, o uso disseminado de smartphones e o bom nível de banda larga nos grandes centros permite a realização de transações digitais. Esse ambiente é favorável ao surgimento de variadas empresas do setor de tecnologia. Além disso, o perfil empreendedor do brasileiro, que tem boa formação técnica, aliado a uma indústria de Venture Capital bastante ativa, tem contribuído para esse movimento. Por fim, o surgimento de diversas fintechs no Brasil tem impulsionado o processo de aquisições no setor tecnologia para o setor financeiro.       

TTR: Quais as três mudanças mais importantes que o mercado de fusões e aquisições pode apresentar no Brasil para o quarto trimestre e início de 2021? Quais setores poderiam oferecer maiores oportunidades para investidores com potencial financeiro?

C. L.: Não vejo grandes mudanças no setor até o final do ano e começo de 2021. Acho que setores como tecnologia, energia renovável, saúde e serviços financeiros devem continuar entre os mais ativos.

TTR: Considerando sua experiência em Private Equity, como você espera que esse tipo de investimento evolua em 2021?

C. L.: Acredito que os fundos de Private Equity devem continuar bastante ativos em 2021. Eles estão bem capitalizados e a atual conjuntura econômica, com empresas em situação financeira difícil combinada com a desvalorização da moeda, tem resultado em um número elevado de oportunidades para os fundos.

TTR: Como você descreveria as medidas tomadas pelo governo brasileiro para enfrentar a crise empresarial causada pelo impacto do combate à COVID-19? Que outras medidas são necessárias no curto prazo para garantir a recuperação econômica?

C. L.: Acho que faltou uma atuação mais coordenada do governo federal para evitar o elevado número de casos no Brasil e um apoio maior para as empresas que estão enfrentando dificuldades financeiras. Acho que o governo deveria impor maiores restrições para evitar a aglomeração de pessoas e reduzir o número de casos e criar um programa de apoio às empresas dos setores mais afetados, como hotelaria, restaurantes e companhias aéreas.


Versão em inglês


Carlos LoboVeirano Advogados

Carlos Lobo is a partner with the Firm and focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity investments and capital markets. He is a specialist in the energy, infrastructure and Telecom/Technology sectors. He graduated from law school from the Rio de Janeiro State University and has an LLM from the Columbia University Law School.


TTR: Brazil registered record M&A activity 1Q20, but the trend changed considerably with the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis: how would you describe the current M&A situation and outlook in Brazil?

C. L.: After the first moment of uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic, when several transactions of mergers and acquisitions were put on hold, the market has rebounded from June on, especially led by domestic and international private equity funds. This second semester is very busy with a different profile of players and sectors, but it is observed a predominance of private equity funds and public companies as buyers. Sectors like technology and renewable energy have been less affected and remained active throughout the year.

TTR: Veirano Advogados is one of the main advisors on M&A in the Brazilian technology sector, according to TTR’s legal ranking.  How do you evaluate the sector’s growth in 2020 and what are the medium and long-term perspectives?

C. L.: This trend has not began this year. The technology sector has been one of the most active in terms of Mergers and Acquisitions activity in the past five years and I believe that such trend shall continue for the coming years. Many factors explain such phenomenon. In first place, a cultural aspect, since Brazilians, when compared to other countries, spend a significant time  on the internet and are regular consumers through e-commerce. In second place, the ample use of smartphones  and the good availability of broadband in the main centers are beneficial for digital transactions. These factors create a favourable environment for the development of technology companies. Also, Brazilians are entrepreneurial and have good technical formation, which allied to an active venture capital industry have contributed for such trend. Finally, the emergence of fintechs in brazil have contributed to the increase of acquisitions in the technology sector related to financial services.

TTR: What are the three most important changes that the M&A market will undergo in Brazil in 4Q20 and early 2021?Which sectors should investors with ample firepower be focused on? 

C. L.: I do not anticipate any major changes in the m&a market until the end of this year and the beginning of 2021. I believe that technology, renewable energy, health care and financial services will remain among the most active sectors.

TTR: Considering your experience in Private Equity, how do you expect this type of investment to evolve in 2021?

C. L.: I believe that the Private Equity funds will continue to be very active in 2021. They are well capitalized and the current macroeconomic situation, with companies in financial distress combined with the devaluation of the currency, have resulted in a elevated number of opportunities for the funds.

TTR: How would you describe the measures taken by the Brazilian Government to support the business community in the wake of the instability caused by the fight against COVID-19? What additional measures are needed in the short term to ensure economic recovery?  

C. L.: I believe that the federal government should have better coordinated the efforts against the pandemic to reduce the number of cases and to offer better support to companies in financial distress. It should impose social distancing and other restrictions to reduce the numbers of cases and create a program of support to the companies of sectors greatly affected, like hotels, restaurants, and air carriers.

DealMaker Q&A

Conteúdo disponível em Português e Inglês

TTR DealMaker Q&A com Marcelo G. Ricupero, sócio de Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados

Marcelo G. RicuperoMattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados

Marcelo G. Ricupero assessora clientes nacionais e estrangeiros em operações de fusões e aquisições e fundos de private equity. Sua atuação engloba, também, a representação de investidores, credores e devedores em operações complexas de reestruturação de dívidas. Foi advogado no escritório de Nova Iorque da Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (EUA). Bacharel em Direito pela Universidade de São Paulo (USP), também possui especialização em Valores Mobiliários pela mesma universidade.


TTR: As fusões e aquisições em 2020 tiveram um primeiro trimestre “recorde” no Brasil, mas no início da crise de saúde COVID-19, a tendência mudou consideravelmente: como você descreveria a situação atual dos players no mercado transacional no Brasil nesta nova etapa?

M. G. R.: Acho que o mercado de fusões e aquisições no Brasil já deu algumas provas de que é um mercado maduro e sofisticado, ainda mais considerando as crises e dificuldades enfrentadas nos últimos anos. Embora seja verdade que, com a pandemia, as operações tiveram uma queda, acho que a maioria já voltou e novas operações também surgiram. Acho este um ponto importante. Há alguns anos, quando havia uma crise internacional, o mercado normalmente esperava a crise terminar para reaquecer. Agora, ele reaquece mesmo durante a crise. Nós estamos esperando um último trimestre bastante movimentado, embora existam fatores que podem comprometer essa expectativa.

TTR: Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados é um dos principais assessores do mercado de capitais do Brasil de acordo com o ranking jurídico do TTR. Como você avalia o grande número de empresas que buscam abrir capital no Brasil em 2020 e quais oportunidades elas encontraram nos últimos meses pela situação atual do mercado local? Essa tendência de alta poderia prevalecer no médio e longo prazo?

M. G. R.: O grande catalisador das operações de abertura de capital no Brasil em 2020 me parece ser a taxa de juros, que atingiu seu ponto mais baixo na história. Com a redução das taxas de juros, houve uma migração muito grande de investidores que saíram de outros investimentos, atrelados à taxa de juros, para investimento em bolsa. Isso também explica a importância do mercado local nas ofertas recentes. Acho que essa tendência pode continuar para 2021, dependendo, claro, da taxa de juros permanecer baixa, que, por sua vez, depende de uma série de outros fatores, como fluxo de investimento estrangeiro, a discussão sobre o teto de gastos do governo, etc. Tudo está caminhando relativamente bem, e estamos esperando que as ofertas continuem em 2021. Depois de 2021, é difícil de dizer. Esse movimento é muito positivo, não só para o mercado de capitais, como também para operações de fusões e aquisições, pois as companhias que realizam as ofertas, normalmente, se capitalizam e procuram por oportunidades de consolidação.

TTR: Em relação à reestruturação societária, como está a situação atual e quais as perspectivas para os próximos meses no Brasil?

M. G. R.: Na minha visão, reestruturações societárias são instrumentais, ou seja, são feitas como parte de algum outro objetivo, seja vender um ativo, segregar negócios com perfis de risco diferentes, consolidar bases acionárias. Sendo assim, quanto maior o volume de operações, seja de M&A  ou de aberturas de capital, maior será o número de reorganizações societárias, especialmente no caso de aberturas de capital, em que uma reorganização societária prévia à operação é muito comum.

TTR: Quais as três mudanças mais importantes que o mercado de fusões e aquisições pode apresentar no Brasil para o quarto trimestre e início de 2021? Quais setores poderiam oferecer maiores oportunidades para investidores com potencial financeiro?

M. G. R.: Boa pergunta. Acho que uma tendência que vamos ver será justamente o incremento de operações de M&A envolvendo companhias que acessaram o mercado de capitais em 2020. Já estamos vendo um pouco disso, com aquisições menores, mas imaginamos que devem se intensificar. Acho que outra tendência é de operações de consolidação. Com a pandemia esperou-se que muitas companhias passariam por dificuldades, esperava-se até uma onda de pedidos de recuperação judicial, que ainda não se concretizou. Mas o fato é que, certamente, há grupos que foram afetados pela crise e isso deve representar oportunidades de consolidação. Outra tendência, já entrando na segunda questão, é de operações em mercados e indústrias que se mostraram resilientes a uma crise sem precedentes, como é esta que estamos passando. Eu destacaria alguns setores, como tecnologia, especialmente fintechs, biotechs e outras techs, life science (hospitais e farmas) e infraestrutura, especialmente energia (mercado que se mostrou quente o ano todo), saneamento (que parece ser uma das apostas da vez), e logística, incluindo ferrovias, portos, etc.

TTR: Como você descreveria as medidas tomadas pelo governo brasileiro para enfrentar a crise empresarial causada pelo impacto do combate à COVID-19? Que outras medidas são necessárias no curto prazo para garantir a recuperação econômica?

M. G. R.: Muito tímidas e de certa forma confusas, focadas nos aspectos errados. Sem entrar nas questões de saúde pública, do ponto de vista de ações para enfrentamento da crise empresarial, as medidas tomadas foram, em sua maioria, para lidar com questões emergenciais e, às vezes, até pontuais, sendo que várias MPs e projetos de lei se perderam no caminho (como o projeto de lei que mudava a Lei de Falências e Recuperação de Empresas em função da pandemia, que ficou conhecido como o projeto emergencial, pois surgiu quando já havia outro em tramitação mais avançada). Outras poucas acabaram virando lei e, de fato, lidando com temas importantes (como as que regularam assembleias virtuais, por exemplo). O que se esperava e, de certa forma, ainda se espera, é que o foco se volte para as medidas estruturais, como a questão do teto de gastos públicos, retomada da agenda de privatizações, além da aprovação de projetos de lei importantes, como a reforma – esta mais abrangente – da Lei de Falências e Recuperação de Empresas.


Versão em inglês


TTR: Brazil registered record M&A activity 1Q20, but the trend changed considerably with the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis,: how would you describe the current M&A situation and outlook in Brazil?

M. G. R.: I believe the M&A market in Brazil has already proved that it is mature and sophisticated, especially considering the crises and difficulties faced in recent years. While it is true that, with the pandemic, the number of transactions has dropped, most of them have returned to normal and new transactions have also emerged. I think this is an important point to notice. A few years ago, when there was an international crisis, the market normally waited for the crisis to end before warming up again. Now, it warms up even during a crisis. We are expecting a very busy last quarter, although there are factors that could affect this expectation.

TTR: Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga Advogados is among the top capital markets advisory firms in Brazil, according to TTR’s legal ranking. How would you characterize the large number of companies that have been looking to pursue an IPO in Brazil in 2020 and what opportunities have they been seeing in local market in recent months? Will this upward trend persist in the medium and long term?

M. G. R.: The great trigger for the IPO and follow on transactions in Brazil in 2020 seems to be the drop in the interest rate, which has reached its lowest point in history. With the reduction in interest rates, investors have migrated from other investments, linked to the interest rate, to the stock market. This also explains the relevance of the local market in recent offers. I think this trend could continue for 2021, depending, of course, on the interest rate remaining low, which, in its turn, depends on several other factors, such as the flow of foreign investment into the country, the discussion about the government spending cap, etc. Everything going relatively well, we expect offers to continue in 2021. After 2021, it is difficult to say. This movement is very positive, not only for the capital market but also for M&As, as the companies are usually capitalized after the offering and look for consolidation opportunities.

TTR: What is the current situation where your restructuring practice is concerned and what are the prospects for the coming months in Brazil in this area?

M. G. R.: In my view, corporate restructurings are instrumental to other transactions, be it selling an asset, segregating businesses with different risk profiles, consolidating shareholder bases. Therefore, the greater the volume of transactions, whether M&A or IPOs, the greater the number of corporate reorganizations, especially in the case of IPOs, where corporate reorganizations before the transaction are very common.

TTR: What are the three most important changes that the M&A market will undergo in Brazil in 4Q20 and early 2021?, Which sectors should investors with ample firepower be focused on?

M. G. R.: Good question. I think that a trend that we will see is precisely the increase in M&A transactions involving companies that accessed the capital market in 2020. We already see some of this with smaller acquisitions, but we imagine that they should intensify. I think that another trend are consolidation transactions. With the pandemic it was expected that many companies would face difficulties, even a wave of requests for judicial reorganization was expected, which has not yet materialized. But the fact is that there are groups that have certainly been affected by the crisis more than others and this should represent opportunities for consolidation. Another trend, moving to the second question, is that of transactions in markets and industries that have proved to be resilient to an unprecedented crisis, such as this one that we are going through. I would highlight some sectors, such as technology, especially fintechs, biotechs, and other techs, life science (hospitals and pharma companies) and infrastructure, especially energy (a market that has been hot all year), sanitation (which seems to be promising at the moment), and logistics, including railways, ports, etc.

TTR: How would you describe the measures taken by the Brazilian Government to support the business community in the wake of the instability caused by the fight against COVID-19? What additional measures are needed in the short term to ensure economic recovery?

M. G. R.: Shy and somewhat confused, focused on the wrong aspects. Without going into public health issues, from the point of view of actions to deal with the business crisis, the measures taken were, for the most part, to deal with emergency issues and, at times, even punctual, with several provisional presidential decrees and bills getting lost along the way (like the bill to amend the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law due to the pandemic, which became known as the emergency bill, since it appeared when there was another one in progress and more advanced). A few others ended up becoming law and, in fact, dealing with important issues (such as those that regulated virtual shareholders meetings, for example). What was expected and, in a way, is still expected, is that the focus will turn to structural measures, such as the issue of the government spending cap, the privatization agenda, in addition to the approval of important bills, such as the reform – this more comprehensive – of the Brazilian Bankruptcy Law.

DealMaker Q&A

TTR DealMaker Q&A com Maria Elisa Gualandi Verri, sócia do TozziniFreire Advogados

Membro do Comitê Executivo de TozziniFreire, corresponsável pela prática Societária e de Fusões e Aquisições do escritório e pela área de Investimento Social Corporativo, Maria Elisa cultivou sempre uma visão multidisciplinar do direito, destacando-se na área contratual – conhecimento que vem utilizando em aquisições e vendas de empresas. Também possui ampla experiência na coordenação de assessoria a empresas em geral, notadamente em assuntos contratuais e societários.

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TTR: Como você caracterizaria a atividade de M&A no mercado brasileiro até agora este ano?

A atividade de M&A veio em um crescente ao longo do ano, aproximando-se das expectativas que existiam com a chegada do novo governo. Além disso, incertezas econômicas e políticas vêm sendo superadas com um progressivo aquecimento. Conforme os números apresentados nos relatórios da TTR em 2019, o valor total de transações já é superior em relação ao ano passado e há boa expectativa para os próximos meses.

Elementos essenciais para o fortalecimento da confiança no país são as Reformas da Previdência e Tributária, que contribuirão de maneira significativa para aumentar a movimentação no mercado brasileiro. 

Outro fator que impulsionará a atividade de M&A nos próximos anos é a agenda de privatizações, concessões e parcerias público-privadas (PPPs), cenário no qual é possível acompanhar um crescimento já em 2019. 

TTR: Como o clima político atual está impactando a tomada de decisões em fusões e aquisições?

O primeiro ano de governo é um momento de transição e há muitos desafios políticos e econômicos, mas o país não perdeu seu papel relevante no panorama global e continua sendo um dos mercados emergentes mais promissores para os investidores estrangeiros. 

Vale destacar duas décadas de estabilidade política, com uma democracia estabelecida, com instituições sólidas e controle da inflação. Além disso, o atual governo está implementando reformas sobre as quais havia expectativa e que se fazem prementes para manutenção da estabilidade econômica. 

Existe também uma expectativa em relação ao crescimento no ambiente econômico que favorece um cenário de interesse para investidores estrangeiros, o que nos leva a apostar no aquecimento da atividade de M&A no Brasil. 

TTR: Qual o impacto da Lei de Liberdade Econômica na atividade de M&A no país?

A Lei da Liberdade Econômica busca desburocratizar a atividade empresarial e estimular o empreendedorismo e a inovação, o que naturalmente traz reflexos positivos para a atividade de M&A.

Regras mais claras sobre responsabilidade do sócio/acionista e da pessoa jurídica, a possibilidade de sociedades unipessoais, regras envolvendo desburocratização de documentos e procedimentos, estão na esteira de um movimento que aproxima o ambiente de negócios no Brasil ainda mais aos padrões internacionais.

TTR: Como a tendência crescente da responsabilidade social corporativa afeta as decisões de investimento?

Cada vez mais as empresas têm levado em consideração questões de responsabilidade social e compliance em suas decisões estratégicas. O crescente escrutínio da sociedade e do mercado tem colocado as empresas sob o holofote, tornando sua cadeia de valor ainda mais suscetível a riscos de imagem e financeiros, entre outros. 

Ao avaliar um investimento, já não é suficiente considerar apenas fatores de natureza econômica. Práticas de responsabilidade social corporativa, de posicionamento da empresa na sociedade e seu nível de compliance são hoje elementos valiosos na tomada de decisão. 

A conscientização nesse sentido é parte de um ciclo virtuoso que movimenta empresas que buscam investimento e desinvestimento, com engajamento em iniciativas que trazem mudanças concretas nas boas práticas empresariais e na sociedade. 

TTR: Como as necessidades de consultoria de investimentos socialmente diferentes diferem das necessárias para qualquer outra transação?

O investimento social de impacto veio para ficar e requer habilidades negociais, transacionais e legais similares àquelas aplicáveis a qualquer outro investimento. De qualquer modo, há de se ter o olhar apurado para o resultado final; ou seja, para o impacto que se visa gerar na sociedade.

DealMaker Q&A

TTR DealMaker Q&A with Machado, Meyer, Sendacz e Opice Advogados Partner Guilherme Bueno Malouf

Machado, Meyer, Sendacz e Opice Advogados Partner Guilherme Bueno Malouf is Head of the Business Law Department, which covers our M&A and Private Equity, Corporate, and Capital Markets practices. Expert in M&A transactions, private equity investments, organization of structured investment funds, especially Equity Investment Funds (FIP), Real Estate Investment Funds (FII), and Credit Rights Investment Funds (FIDC). Has extensive experience in the food and beverage, steel, cement, real estate, energy, services, technology, and retail. Part of the Asian Desk of the firm.

TTR – To begin with, Mr. Malouf, could you give us your opinion on the progress of the Brazilian M&A market in 2019?

It has been a good year for M&A, with a high number of transactions. Most active sector has been technology, but other sectors, such as oil&gas, health, education, real estate and timber have also been active.
We have seen some interesting high-end transactions involving Petrobras, Hapvida, Positivo, Madero and Cecrisa and our firm has been involved in a number of them.

TTR – You have advised in M&A deals in the technology sector, the most active in the country in recent years. So, what can you tell us about the evolution of this sector?

We have seen lots of deals and increasing competition in Brazil. Many of these transactions have been consummated in record-breaking timeframes. In terms of evolution, I would say that many players, who initially approached these transactions with a venture capital mindset (i.e., less concerned about liabilities and indemnification) realized that in Brazil tax and labor issues require a deeper analysis, not only to validate the business model of the enterprise, but also to identify potential liabilities and allow the investor to negotiate a suitable protection (i.e., indemnity and collateral). 

TTR – What other sectors do you think can follow in its footsteps and why?

I think actually it is the other way around. The tech world is now balancing more and adjusting to the more traditional M&A standards. It is not impossible, however, that the fast-moving approach commonly seen in tech deals be replicated in other sectors, but this still remains to be seen.

TTR – Following from the previous question, and as an expert in the field, how has the development of the technology sector affected the legal concept of Intellectual Property? What new challenges arise from it?

Technology development and centricity on data are bringing questions about the extension of ownership and intellectual propriety rights. Issues related to ownership of personal data databases, scrapping information from public available sources, fair use with respect to copyright and disputes what constitutes unfair competition will become more and more frequent and complex. A bigger issue to be addressed is related to copyright in connection to works created by Artificial Intelligence, which is already a reality. To what extent such works will be copyrightable in light of the fact that are not human creations? We are not yet close to any consensus about how to deal with several of those issues but the implications to the intellectual property concept are evident.

TTR – Another of your areas of expertise is capital markets. After its start at the beginning of the year, how do you rate its operation so far in 2019? What is your forecast for the end of the year?

2019 has been a very good year for capital markets. CVM (the Brazilian SEC) has registered 14 public offering of equity securities, totaling more than R$35 billion. This is a huge increase from the average of the previous years.  In addition, a total of 38 “limited effort” public offering of equity securities (known as “476 offerings”) have already been completed and involved a total of R$32 billion. Our debt market (debentures) has remained hot as well.

We continue very active and our projections are for a very active end of 2019 and beginning of 2020.

TTR – Finally, also considering your experience in Private Equity, how do you expect that type of investment to progress?

Structure-wise, the use of FIPs (our private equity investment fund) by foreign PE firm has been under a huge scrutiny of tax authorities. My perception, though, is that the current administration wants to foster foreign investments, including PE investments, and that a middle ground solution will be set. The enactment of the “economic freedom act” is an indication of that.

Venture and Seed Capital investors tend to be more innovative, and many times structure their investments either through an offshore vehicle (whose sole asset is the investment in the Brazilian target) or through loans or debt securities. Such structures allow the investor not only an easier exit but also enhanced protection against liabilities of the target companies (that in Brazil many timed pierce the corporate veil and are attributed to shareholders).