Cross-Border M&A Increases MergerID Traffic, as the Global M&A Marketplace Celebrates its First Anniversary

LONDON, September 27, 2010 - The Mergermarket Group celebrates the one year anniversary of the launch
of MergerID, a secure and confidential online platform for M&A practitioners
to identify real opportunities in the mid-market by bringing together buyers
and sellers. Launched in September 2009 with the support of the FT Group,
MergerID already counts 1,300 companies among its members in the 65 countries
in which it is present. In its first year, over 25,000 matches between buyers
and sellers have been recorded world-wide, and this number is growing at a
double digit rate per month.

After a booming August, M&A fever looks to be making a comeback.
Certainly cross-border activity, especially at mid-market level where
MergerID's members operate, is increasingly contributing to total M&A deal
values. According to mergermarket data, the total value of cross-border
transactions rose by 60% in H1 2010 from H1 2009 and now accounts for 31% of
global deal value in the year to date, up from 18% in the same period in
2009.

According to Compass Corporate Finance & Strategy in Spain, "MergerID is
a very useful tool particularly when it comes to cross-border transactions.
It provides the chance to exchange deal opportunities with counterparts that
would be otherwise very difficult to know about."

According to Bill Sharpe, MD at Quetico Partners in Minneapolis, "the
hidden importance of cross border M&A is the powerful effect an international
strategic bidder can have on the whole process, even if they happen not to be
the ultimate buyer."

M&A practitioners are facing increasing pressure from their clients to
provide them with an actionable list of potential targets or buyers. With M&A
picking up and workload increasing, MergerID is a tool that allows the
members to optimize their origination efforts without compromising
confidentiality. Cost saving is another key factor, as MergerID efficiently
establishes preliminary interest from the desktop, reducing the time spent on
unproductive travel and meetings.

"MergerID is an efficient and very effective medium. After joining the
MergerID platform, we have noted that our reach has increased multifold to a
very large base of prospective buyers and sellers world over", said the CFO
of Renaissance Services SAOG, a leading Middle Eastern corporation.

Jonathan Goor, Managing Director of MergerID, stresses that, "Through
MergerID, users can effortlessly access a global audience. The interest in
all the BRIC and aspirant BRIC countries as well as in the Middle East and
Africa has been fantastic so far…" Alongside the interest from the western
world in BRIC country targets, mergermarket data shows that emerging market
companies are also increasingly acquiring abroad. Outbound deal activity from
the emerging markets has risen 318% by value and 111% by deal count in the
year to date from the same period last year.

All members of the MergerID community benefit from the continual growth
of the platform. The addition of new members together with the steady
increase of new mandates from existing members makes the platform ever more
compelling. As the Head of M&A Advisory at Axis Bank India said, "going
forward, MergerID will be indispensable in any investment bank toolkit."

About MergerID

MergerID provides a secure online environment, for principals and
professionals, to post and view M&A opportunities. MergerID is part of the
Mergermarket Group, a division of the Financial Times Group, publisher of the
Financial Times newspaper, FT.com and is a division of Pearson plc, the
international media group.

For more information please visit www.mergerid.com.

    Media Contact:
    Hannah Bagshawe
    Tel: +1-646-378-3194
    Email: hannah.bagshawe@mergermarket.com

Media Contact: Hannah Bagshawe, Tel: +1-646-378-3194, Email: hannah.bagshawe at mergermarket.com