The Advantages of the M&A Research Institute

Fee Structure

Our experienced Advisers will support M&A of SMEs in various industries.
We lead M&A deals with overwhelming speed.

¥0 charge until the M&A is closed
"Complete success fee system for transferor companies"

We have adopted a "completely success-based" fee system for transferor companies, so we do not receive any start fee, interim fee, or monthly fee.
We will work for free until the M&A is closed.

(For buyer companies, we are free of charge of the retainer fee. Please feel free to contact us.)

  1. Retainer fee

    A retainer fee is the cost for an M&A intermediary company to start an M&A intermediary business.
    It depends on the size of the company, but the cost ranges from several hundred thousand yen to several million yen.
    Usually, even if the M&A is not closed, the retainer fee will not be refunded. We put our customers first, so we make the retainer fee free.

  2. Intermediate payment

    The intermediate payment is the fee paid when a basic agreement is reached with the transferor company, and many M&A intermediary companies set 10% to 20% of the success fee as the interim fee.
    Usually, even if the M&A is canceled after the basic agreement is reached, the money will not be refunded.
    But we believe that M&A does not mean anything to the seller if it does not lead to a contract, so we do not receive intermediate payment.

  3. Monthly Fee

    The monthly fee is a monthly payment to an intermediary company when proceeding with M&A negotiations with a buyer.
    Normally, like the retainer payment and intermediate payment, it will not be refunded even if the M&A is not closed.
    We also offer zero monthly fees.

A company that does not require 1 to 3 is called a “Completely performance-based fee system M&A intermediary Company”.

Transferor Company
Four merits of the completely success-based fee system

Many M&A intermediary firms claim to have a success-based fee system.
However, in addition to the success fee, there may be a retainer fee, interim fee, monthly fee, etc.
We believe that a cost structure that forces you to bear the burden regardless of the results is a major issue in the M&A industry.
For transferor companies, we have supported M&A with a completely success-based fee system since our founding.

  1. Until the M&A is concluded,
    you don't need to pay.

    Many M&A intermediary companies charge a "retainer fee", "interim fee" and "monthly fee" regardless of the results.
    Even if the M&A is not closed, the transferor company may have to pay fees of millions to tens of millions of yen.

    Our fee system is a "completely success-based fee system", so if the M&A is not closed, we will not receive any fees from the transferor company (seller), Since we are confident in closing M&A deals.
    We will also waive the retainer fee for the transferee company.

  2. The transfer amount is accurate,
    and transferability is excellent.

    Some M&A intermediary companies take a retainer fee to satisfy a quota. Such intermediary companies tend to offer a transfer price that exceeds the owner's desired price, or even a reasonable price, so the transferor company will not know the true transfer price and the transferability.
    There are many intermediaries that aim to earn retainer fees. This kind of intermediary tends to offer transfer prices that exceed the owner's desired price or fair price, so the seller is unaware of the true price and potential.

    We will honestly discuss the appropriate transfer price and possibility. This is why we have high customer satisfaction and conversion rates.

  3. Wider range of potential buyers

    M&A Research Institute is a retainer fee-free M&A intermediary.

    If the intermediary charges the retainer fee to the buyer, in many cases they feel the reluctance to pay and do not consider the acquisition. As a result, they lose their opportunities for the deal.

    We do not receive retainer fees from buyers, so we have more potential buyers for finding great matching.

  4. You can close more quickly

    Many intermediaries do not list their fees clearly on their websites. When business owners consult with an intermediary, they will be told they need to pay a retainer, an interim, and a monthly fee. In addition, it takes time to receive an explanation of the fee structure that is not easy to understand, nor to negotiate the fee. We do not receive any of the above-mentioned fees, so you can start searching for potential buyers immediately after receiving your request.

    As a result, we are able to help you with speedy transfers and sales in as little as 49 days from request to project contract.

Our fee structure(for Transferor Company)

The general intermediary fee structure calculates the performance fee based on the transfer price plus the amount of debt (moving total assets).
We calculate the performance fee based on the “transfer price” without including the amount of debt.
As shown in the figure below, the fee structure based on the “transfer price” is significantly lower than the fee structure based on the “total asset value”.
When comparing you to other intermediary companies, please check the retainer fee and interim fee, and the amount on which the performance fee calculation is based.

Rate example of Lehman FormulaA company with a stock price of 500 million yen and liabilities of 1.5 billion yen

Comparison with other companies

M&A Research InstituteMajor company AMajor company B
Fee for successful closing of deal--
Retainer feeNo FeeFeeNo Fee
Interim fee / Monthly feeNo FeeNo FeeFee
Base forthe successful closing feeBased on transfer priceBased on
total transferred assets
Base for
the successful closing fee
Successful closing fee
(Compared at 500 million yen or less)
5%5%5%
Minimum rewardFeeFeeFee

We do not charge retainer fees or interim fees. So you can keep costs down compared to a intermediary where these occur.
And since it is a fee structure based on the transfer price, the fee will not increase even if there is debt.

Successful Deals

We would like to share the achievements that led to M&A deals.

* This page lists some of our customers in the past, regardless of when the contract was concluded.