Navigating uncertainty in investment banking

Investment banks today are challenged with maintaining high levels of productivity with increasingly lean teams. Amid economic volatility and shifting market dynamics, mergers and acquisitions (M&A ) divisions face mounting pressure to identify, screen and evaluate new opportunities efficiently, while still delivering rigorous analysis and superior client service. For one leading global investment bank that specializes in M&A in the energy sector, balancing these demands highlighted the need for smarter workflows and more agile data solutions.

Partnering with Rystad Energy: building a bespoke upstream screening dashboard for M&A

Without Rystad Energy, it would take over an hour to conduct upstream portfolio analysis instead of 10–15 minutes.

In response, the bank’s M&A division turned to Rystad Energy for a customized data solution. Through close collaboration, Rystad Energy developed a bespoke Upstream dashboard incorporating numerous parameters, such as resources, production, economics, valuation, ownership, emissions intensity, and many more. Our flexible approach and continual dialogue with the client led to a custom offering that could be refined as needed to fit evolving workflows and strategic requirements.

The upstream screening dashboard became the central resource for tracking deal flow, monitoring market trends and assessing asset values. Its flexibility and responsiveness gave the team immediate access to actionable intelligence, whether preparing for client meetings, developing data-driven pitch books and presentations, or responding to live requests.

Results: freeing up capacity for high-value M&A work

With the upstream screening dashboard in place, the M&A team transformed its daily operations:

1. On-the-fly screening during calls - analysts could instantly filter for company portfolios or assets and view key metrics, including production, resources, and net present value (NPV) during client engagements, making conversations more data-driven and actionable.

2. Rapid pre-call preparation - by delivering ranked shortlists based on tailored criteria, a task that previously demanded more than an hour of manual Excel work can now be accomplished in only 10–15 minutes, ensuring consistency and quality in meeting preparation.

3. First-pass opportunity screening for client mandates - the dashboard enabled swift identification and ranking of potential M&A targets and facilitated immediate cross-checking against other sources, providing a robust, defensible baseline for deeper analysis.

4. Freeing up time for more strategic activities - by significantly reducing the time spent on manual data gathering and initial screening, Rystad Energy’s solution enabled analysts to focus on higher-value strategic work such as deal structuring, deep-dive analysis, and client relationship management.

The time savings were substantial: for every ten users, the M&A division gained efficiencies equivalent to one full-time employee. This impact meant that the division could redeploy resources to activities that drive client value and business growth.

Rystad Energy is committed to client confidentiality. Names have been altered for privacy.