Cross-Border Business Acquisitions – Article in Kathimerini
Papatriantafyllou & Thanasenari contributed to the special edition “Business Law Insights” of the Greek daily Kathimerini and the legal publisher Nomiki Bibliothiki. The edition was published with the 18 October 2026 issue of Kathimerini’s Sunday edition.
The edition featured an article by Yiannis Papatriantafyllou, Partner at the firm, entitled “Cross-Border Business Acquisitions and the Buyer’s Liability for Pre-Existing Debts.”
Cross-Border Acquisitions and Buyer Liability
The article examines the circumstances in which the buyer of a business may face claims in respect of the business’s pre-existing debts, even where the buyer is based abroad and the transfer agreement is governed by foreign law.
The analysis distinguishes between the purchase of shares or other equity interests (a share deal) and the acquisition of the business as a whole, as a set of assets (an asset deal). It focuses on the buyer’s differing exposure under each structure, on determining the applicable law, and on the position of creditors, whose claims are assessed independently of the transfer agreement.
Why It Matters for Businesses, Investors and Creditors
For a company or investor considering an acquisition, potential liability for legacy debts bears directly on the assessment of risk and of the overall financial exposure arising from the transaction. The structure of the deal and its international dimension must be weighed against the claims that may be asserted after completion.
Equally, a creditor of a business that is being transferred needs to establish against whom it can pursue satisfaction of its claim. This is particularly significant where the business continues through a new entity, or where companies based in different countries are involved.
These issues link legal due diligence and the structuring of an acquisition with the management of potential commercial disputes.
Transactions and Business Disputes
Papatriantafyllou & Thanasenari combines advisory work in corporate and commercial law with a court practice in complex business disputes. This combination allows a transaction to be assessed both at the structuring stage and in light of the claims and liability issues that may arise after completion.
In cross-border acquisitions, the choice of governing law, the allocation of risk and the ability to pursue or contest claims before the courts are interdependent elements of legal strategy.
Read the published article in the “Law & Business” edition (in Greek)
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