Over 80% of private equity firms believe a Brexit deal will be agreed

• 81% of private capital CFOs and COOs surveyed by Intertrust believe a Brexit deal will be agreed in time for the 29 March 2019 deadline;
• Over 50% say they are prepared for Brexit but 4 in 10 admit to having taken no action to prepare;
• Nearly a third (31%) plan to seek guidance from third party consultants;
• A quarter of private capital CFOs and COOs interviewed by Intertrust believe ‘No Deal’ would be perceived as a buying opportunity.

Intertrust, a global leader in providing expert administrative services to clients operating and investing in the international business environment, surveyed CFOs and COOs within the private capital industry on their attitudes to Brexit at a private event hosted with the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA).

The survey revealed that over 80% believe a deal will still be agreed in time for the 29 March 2019 deadline, but nearly a quarter (19%) think an alternative outcome is possible: either “No Deal” or a call for a second referendum. A quarter of CFOs and COOs interviewed at the event believe a ‘no deal’ would be viewed as a ‘buying opportunity’.

While over 40% admit to having taken no action whatsoever: preferring to wait until a deal is finalised; more than half of respondents consider themselves very prepared or ‘extremely’ prepared for Brexit. Of the latter group, only 6% have established an internal committee while about 31% plan to seek advice from external consultants.

Andrea Williams, UK Managing Director of Intertrust said:

“With recent political, judicial and socio-economic developments in both the EU and the UK, there is an increased need for private capital CFOs and COOs to plan now and act soon to ensure business continuity.

Regardless of the final outcome, London remains crucial to the financial services sector and Intertrust has a worldwide network of experts available to enable our clients to navigate developments and continue to operate seamlessly”.