The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated merger and acquisition deal making, as social-distancing and restrictions on travel have made it harder for top executives to meet face-to-face, the head of Intercontinental Exchange Inc said on Thursday.
"The COVID-19 environment has really created winners and losers in many spaces, including financial services," ICE CEO Jeffrey Sprecher said."We've had a lot of inquiries from fintech-type companies that are worried about their future funding capabilities."ICE, which bought the New York Stock Exchange in 2013, has grown from a small energy-trading business in 2000 to one of the world's biggest exchange operators, with a US$51.
Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has quickly spread, leading to lockdowns around the world, forcing work-from-home mandates and limiting in-person meetings.