War Story

What we did

Client Flag

What happened next ?

War Story

Key Learnings

Following the client's flag and our audit, they were particularly concerned with a specific MT "which reads as most negative / inaccurate based on the summary / topics covered"

MT Title: Company Z: Spotlight on Outdated Infrastructure and Compliance Risks Discussion Topics:

• Company Z's interest rate dependence, high operational costs, and customer concentration risks
• Payment rail outages, outdated tech infrastructure, and data management inefficicencies
• Challenges in maintaining banking licenses, improving AML control, and complying with PSD3 and MiCA reporting requirements
• Competitive fee compressions, brand protection efforts and outlook on liquidation endeavors

What we did:

• Audited all Research related to Company Z on AlphaNow.
• No statements found that matched client’s concerns.
• On the contrary, experts' statements were factually correct and shared based on publicly available sources.

Client X raised some concerns over the coverage we did on Company Z. It was one of the client's portfolio companies and they were exploring the sale of their majority stake in the company at the time of the escalation. “Our primary concern relates to statements made regarding the risk profile / industries of Company Z's customers, (...) leading us to believe that the experts in question either fundamentally lack knowledge in that specific area and are relying on a faulty rumor-mill, or worse, are stating these facts with malicious intent… We would be very grateful if you could look through your records to check whether similar statements on Company Z have been made by any expert(s) on your platform. If so, please let us know i) the extent of the spread, ii) other consistent and highly negative unsupported statements made by the same expert(s) so that we can manage it proactively on our end as well.”

Key Learnings

• Clients are increasingly sensitive about their portco. Portraying clients or their portcos in a way that threatens their market reputation or business activities -such as suggesting difficulty raising funds or selling assets can harm both the client and AlphaSights’ brand in the market.

• Maintaining neutral MT titles and agendas protects our client's interest and AlphaSights’ reputation. It avoids client escalations and ensures our Research is credible and trusted by our clients.