M&A Advisory
Senior bankers from kickoff to close. No handoffs.
German Mittelstand sellers, DACH-based sponsors, and Asian acquirers and corporates pursuing cross-border targets.
Buy-side and sell-side process, structuring, negotiation — partner-led from kickoff to close.
The work, line by line.
Sell-side process (DACH targets)
Positioning, IM development, buyer outreach to Asian acquirers, auction management, negotiation.
Buy-side advisory (Asian acquirers)
Target identification in DACH, valuation framework, structuring, negotiation.
Carve-outs and divestitures
TSAs, separation planning, perimeter definition, financial separation across jurisdictions.
Cross-border execution
Two-office partner pairing on every mandate; coordinated counsel and tax across DACH and Greater China.
Special situations
Distressed, founder transitions, complex shareholder dynamics in family-owned Mittelstand businesses.
Fairness opinions
Independent fairness opinions for boards and special committees on cross-border consideration.
What separates the work.
- 01
Two-partner pairing
Every M&A engagement runs through Stefan in Frankfurt and Leo in Hong Kong simultaneously. The other side of the corridor is staffed from day one.
- 02
Cross-border by design
100% of completed M&A engagements are cross-border DACH–Greater China. We do not service intra-DACH or intra-Asia transactions.
- 03
Calibrated processes
We design the process to the asset — broad auctions, targeted approaches, or bilateral conversations — and explain why.
- 04
Defensible valuation
Valuation work is internal. We do not import a number; we build it.
Active categories along the corridor.
- Industrials & Manufacturing
- Technology, Media & Telecom
- Consumer & Retail
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Business & Professional Services
From scoping to deliverable.
- 015–7 weeks
Preparation
Positioning, financial preparation, IM, buyer list (DACH or Asian), NDA flow.
- 025–9 weeks
Marketing
First-round outreach across the corridor, management presentations, IOI receipt and triage.
- 037–11 weeks
Diligence
Data room, management meetings, second-round bids, exclusivity.
- 044–7 weeks
Close
SPA negotiation, regulatory filings (BaFin, SFC, MOFCOM as applicable), signing and closing.
Founding partners leading the work.
Reading from the team.
- Practitioner Note
Cross-Border Carve-Outs: A DACH–Asia Practitioner's Field Guide
What separates a clean cross-border DACH–Asia carve-out from a punishing one — drawn from observations across European industrial conglomerates, German Mittelstand sellers, and Asian acquirers operating in the corridor.
By Henrik Bergmann9 min read - Quarterly Update
Q1 2026 DACH–Greater China Crest
Quarterly read on cross-border deal flow between DACH and Greater China — pricing, volume, sector mix, and the indicators we watch for the next three quarters.
By Stefan Knaus8 min read
What clients usually ask before kickoff.
Most engagements fall between €100mm and €1.5B in enterprise value, with select work above and below. Our team is sized to lead — not just support — these mandates.
For sell-side processes, success fees are the norm with a small retainer. Buy-side mandates carry a retainer plus a closing fee. We will quote in writing before kickoff.
A conflicts memo is circulated to the deal team and shared with the client at engagement start. We decline mandates where a current relationship would compromise our work.
Securities-regulated services in Hong Kong are provided through Meridian Crest (Asia) Limited, licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. We do not maintain a U.S. broker-dealer registration.
Discuss this M&A engagement.
We respond within one business day.
A founding partner reads every inbound. References available on request, under NDA.