Coral and blue hues spiral design used in the Ashurst M and A Briefing series

Business Insight

Ahead of the Deal

Australian M&A Briefing

Welcome to Ahead of the Deal

We explore the latest news and developments in M&A to help you stay Ahead of the Deal. We cover trends in M&A activity, topical deal issues and changes in the regulatory landscape.

Visit our Corporate and M&A page for more information about how we can help.

Latest episode

Episode 3 - Pre-bid exclusivity

In this episode, Tony Damian and Amelia Morgan discuss pre-bid exclusivity and what target boards should be thinking about when granting exclusivity to a prospective bidder at the pre-bid stage.

They discuss the differences between 'hard' and 'soft' exclusivity, look at the current Takeovers Panel guidance and its background, and cover some recent examples in the market. View the video to learn more.

Video Series

Episode 2 - The new ACCC merger regime

In this episode, Tony Damian and Amelia Morgan meet with Alyssa Philips, Partner in the Ashurst Competition Team, to discuss how the new Australian merger clearance regime is functioning in practice.

What's been catching people out, how is the ACCC managing the volume of applications, and what changes might we expect to see in the future? View the video to learn more.

Episode 1 - The M&A Deal Report 2026

In the first episode of our new series, Tony Damian and Amelia Morgan unpack the key findings from Ashurst's recently released M&A Deal Report 2026.

Tony and Amelia take a close look at deal flows, shifting deal structures and the role of private capital. View the video to learn more.