Marriage counselling: the risks of software vendor mergers

The risk technology space has seen a spike in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, with more deals to come – but while consolidation offers real benefits for banks and other customers, M&As can also cripple good products and harm customer service. Users can manage these risks by being more proactive. Clive Davidson reports

Marry in haste, repent at leisure – or so the saying goes. But in the case of marriages between risk software firms, the clients can also end up repenting.

“Buyers and users of risk technology need to be aware of mergers and acquisitions (M&As),” says Peyman Mestchian, managing partner at London-based Chartis Research, a research and advisory firm covering the risk technology market. “Whether the deal is strategic or opportunistic, post-acquisition execution is not always done well. In some