The M&A Excellence Days 2026 took place in Frankfurt am Main on 4 and 5 March 2026. The event was organised by the Bundesverband Mergers & Acquisitions gem. e.V. (BMA) in cooperation with the German Institution of Arbitration (DIS), the Bundesverband Beteiligungskapital e.V. (BVK), Goethe University Frankfurt and UnternehmerTUM GmbH.
As a cooperation partner, the DIS played a key role in shaping the content and set important priorities, particularly in the topic area ‘Disputes in M&A’. The event brought together experts from practice, consulting, academia and the business world to discuss current developments in the M&A market and provide practical insights into key challenges along the transaction process.
A special focus was placed on dispute resolution in connection with M&A transactions. DIS organised several programme items in this context.
On 4 March, a DIS panel addressed the topic of ‘Post-M&A Disputes and W&I Insurance’. Moderated by and with contributions from Heiko Haller (Baker McKenzie), Irina Novikova (Deloitte), Judith Sawang (Ashurst) and Benedict M. Prinzenberg (Funk M&A and Tax Solutions), the panel discussed the types of disputes that typically arise after closing and the role that warranty and indemnity (W&I) insurance plays in such conflicts. The discussion showed that W&I insurance is now an integral part of many transactions – but at the same time raises new legal and strategic questions when disputes arise.
On the morning of 5 March, a DIS masterclass on the topic of ‘Dispute-Proof Deals’ was held, led by Jennifer Bryant (Noerr). The masterclass addressed the question of how transactions can be structured during the structuring and contract phase in such a way that conflicts can be avoided as far as possible or at least resolved efficiently.
In the afternoon, another DIS panel on ‘Cross-Border M&A Disputes’ was on the agenda. Kirstin Schwedt (Schwedt Dispute Resolution), Siegfried H. Elsing (Orrick), Gerrit Niehoff (Baker McKenzie) and Karl Pörnbacher (Lovells) discussed typical challenges of cross-border M&A disputes. The focus was on questions of jurisdiction, the choice of suitable dispute resolution mechanisms and strategic considerations in international conflicts.
In addition, Jan K. Schaefer (King & Spalding), Nils Schmidt-Ahrendts (Hanefeld) and Daniel H. Sharma (ALM Partners) contributed further arbitration insights to the discussion in other panels.
The M&A Excellence Days 2026 thus once again provided an important platform for exchange between decision-makers, experts and young talents from the M&A community. In addition to high-calibre specialist presentations, the focus was on interdisciplinary dialogue, practical case studies and networking opportunities.
The event once again highlighted how closely M&A transactions and dispute resolution are linked – and the role that efficient conflict resolution mechanisms, in particular arbitration, play in international transaction practice.
Thomas Klich