The Financial Intermediary & Broker Association (FIBA) has launched a new partnership with Grant Thornton’s financial services deals team.

The move will provide FIBA members with access to Grant Thornton’s integrated, multidisciplinary deals team.

Grant Thornton’s deals team covers the specialist finance sector, including current M&A trends, deal structures, and valuations. The firm’s practice was ranked number one in London and number two nationally on Experian’s M&A report 2023.

Chair of FIBA, Martin Reynolds, said: “We are pleased to welcome Grant Thornton, and the calibre of assistance it is able to provide, to our lender panel and members looking for support across their services in this sector.

“We look forward to embarking on the journey of education regarding their professional observations and understanding of elements within our sector and achieving a deeper comprehension.”

Head of financial services M&A in Grant Thornton’s corporate finance practice, Simon Blackburn, added: “Whilst sector M&A activity has been subdued in recent years due to the impact of the likes of COVID-19, rising inflation and interest rates, appetite for M&A is returning as latent customer demand remains high, interest rates appear to have stabilised and market optimism has increased.

“We look forward to sharing our sector and M&A insights with the FIBA membership and having the opportunity to demonstrate our support to the sector.”

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