|Q|
| M&A Term | Definition | Note |
| Q&A | Questions and answers (see also Q&A Process). | N2 |
| Q&A Process | This gives buyers the opportunity to obtain further information by asking questions arising from the documents made available for Due Diligence. Depending on the structure of the transaction, the Q&A process may be highly formalised. Particularly in an Auction Process, questions may need to be submitted via a Q&A Tool, with restrictions on the number of questions each bidder may ask and specific times set for submitting them. | N2 |
| Q&A Tool | In conjunction with a Virtual Data Room, a Q&A tool is sometimes used to manage and formalise the Q&A Process. Applications are made available on the relevant Internet platforms that enable questions to be asked (e.g. relating to individual documents in the Data Room). In order to organise Due Diligence efficiently, it is usually advisable to formalise the Q&A process. A Q&A tool supports this objective. | N2 |
| Qatari Courts | generally refers to the Courts in Qatar under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice in Qatar | N1 |
| QCB | the Qatar Central Bank oversees the activities of all Qatar’s commercial banks and non-banking financial institutions. The QCB, among other things, also sets monetary policy in Qatar. | N1 |
| QCCI | the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an organization of which all companies conducting business activities in Qatar must become a member | N1 |
| QE | See quantitative easing. | N6 |
| QE | acronym for the Qatar Exchange, a stock exchange based in Doha, Qatar which is partly owned by NYSE Euronext | N1 |
| QE Venture Market | the Qatar Exchange Venture Market was established in December 2011 as an alternative market for companies to list on with a lighter regulatory touch as compared to the QE’s Main Market | N1 |
| QFC | acronym for the Qatar Financial Centre, a jurisdiction distinct from local Qatari law that has been set up to attract companies from the financial sector and related support service companies. QFC Law differs from local Qatari law regulating QFC companies and their employees, among other things. | N1 |
| QFC Courts | QFC Civil and Commercial Courts are distinct from Qatari Courts and have their own judges, procedural rules and jurisdiction to resolve QFC Law disputes in Qatar | N1 |
| QFC Law | generally refers to legislation, regulations and other rules of the QFC | N1 |
| QFCA | acronym for the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, the primary licensing authority of the QFC | N1 |
| QFCRA | acronym for the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority, the primary regulator within the QFC with the power to authorize natural and legal persons to undertake certain prescribed financial business activities | N1 |
| QFMA | acronym for the Qatar Financial Markets Authority, the primary regulatory authority for Qatar’s Capital Markets and Listed Companies | N1 |
| QIA | acronym for the Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar’s primary Sovereign Wealth Fund with investment interests all over the world | N1 |
| QICDRC | acronym for the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, the QFC’s dispute resolution centre | N1 |
| QP | acronym for Qatar Petroleum, the primary state-owned oil and gas company in Qatar | N1 |
| QSTP | acronym for the Qatar Science and Technology Park, currently Qatar’s only free zone where Investors are permitted 100 percent foreign ownership of QSTP entities. Most QSTP entities have a science or technological focus and can benefit from certain incentives (such as tax incentives) offered within the QSTP. | N1 |
| Qualified Majority | see Supermajority | N1 |
| Qualified Plan | a retirement plan that meets certain US Internal Revenue Code requirements and is therefore eligible to receive certain tax benefits (i.e., employer can deduct contributions made to the plan, employees are not taxed on assets in the plan until distributed and earnings on plan assets are tax deferred) | N1 |
| Qualifying Offer | an Offer that meets the terms and conditions established in a formal or informal Auction | N1 |
| qualitative analysis | Assessing the value of an investment by examining mainly non-numeric characteristics such as management, people, process, etc. | N6 |
| quantitative (quant) analysis | Use of mathematical and statistical techniques to make investment decisions. (See also chartism, fundamental analysis.) | N6 |
| quantitative easing | Process by which a country’s central bank tries to stimulate the economy by increasing the amount of money in circulation. Quantitative easing is used in instances when the central bank’s interest rate cannot be lowered any further because it is zero or very close to zero. The central bank effectively prints new money and uses the new money to buy fixed interest securities from companies, usually banks. The intention is to encourage banks to increase their lending, which should eventually reduce the cost to consumers of borrowing from banks and stimulate consumer spending. However, quantitative easing may fail if institutions do not increase their lending despite the actions of the central bank. In addition, quantitative easing may lead to an over-stimulation resulting in a rapid increase in inflation over time. Quantitative easing was adopted by the central banks of several countries during the global financial crisis of 2008/2009. | N6 |
| quarterly | Every three months. Usually refers to three-month periods ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December. | N6 |
| quartile | One quarter of a sample. If returns of portfolios (or managers) are ranked in a league table, then, for example, a second quartile ranking indicates that 25% of portfolios performed better and 50% achieved a lower return — that is, the return was in the second quarter (or 25%) of the returns. (See also bottom quartile, top quartile.) | N6 |
| Quick (asset) ratio | A liquidity measure: cash plus cash equivalents plus trade receivables divided by total current liabilities. Also known as the acid test ratio. It is a more stringent measure of short-term liquidity than the current ratio because it excludes inventories from current assets (which presumes that current liabilities cannot be paid with inventory) | N3 |
| Quick Merger | a French anti-abuse rule applying in case an indebted Holding Company is merged with its operating subsidiary in order to offset the financial expenses incurred by the Holding Company with the operating profit realized by its subsidiary. Tax reassessment is no longer very fashionable at the French tax administration. | N1 |
| Quiet Auction | an Auction for the sale of a Target Company that is not intended to be a matter of public record. A Seller or a Target Company often limits the number of potential Bidders | N1 |
| quorum | Minimum number of members (on an investment committee or board of trustees in the case of pension schemes) that is needed for a binding decision to be taken. | N6 |
| Quotation Letter | a document provided by a financial institution to a company that is partly financed with shareholder loans granted by a controlling Investor. The Quotation Letter provides evidence that the remuneration of such shareholder loans is not higher than the interest rate offered by unrelated parties for a loan having similar terms. Quotation Letters are generally used to secure the deductible nature of interest incurred on this type of shareholder loans for French corporate income tax purposes. | N1 |
Reference
N1: referring to The Book of Jargon – Global Mergers & Acquisitions, first edition, the Latham & Watkins, available at https://www.lw.com/admin/Upload/Documents/BoJ_Global_MandA-locked-March-2015.pdf.
N2: referring to Glossary of Key M&A and Corporate Terms, 4th edition, Dr Anne Meckbach and Dr Tobias Grau, available at https://cms.law/en/deu/publication/glossary-of-key-m-a-and-corporate-terms-2020.
N3：referring to M&A Dictionary, Global PMI Partners, available at https://gpmip.com/dictionary/.
N4：referring to M&A jargon demystified, KPMG, available at https://issuu.com/kpmg_be/docs/kpmg_m_a_vakjargon_en_digital.
N5: referring to Simple Guide to M&A Terminology and Jargon, Lucas & Weston Ltd., available at https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5708da760dd2dc033a78bd13/5b7ea45f3dbc72645fbee4b2_L%26W%20-%20M%26A%20Glossary.pdf.
N6：referring to INVESTMENT DICTIONARY, MARSH & McLENNAN COMPANIES, available at https://www.mercer.com/content/dam/mercer/attachments/europe/Netherlands/ic-dictionary-mercer.pdf.
N7: referring to International Valuation Glossary—Business Valuation, November 2021, jointly published by ASA, CBV Institute, RICS and TAQEEM, available at https://www.appraisers.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/international-business-valuation-glossary_en_final.pdf?sfvrsn=e37c69d4_2.
The above information is collected from the Internet and reorganized for the purposes of learning and sharing only and not for any other purposes. It can not be guaranteed to be error-free.