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Political Intelligence: By monitoring the political landscape on a regional or country-level basis we help clients mitigate risk, protect investments, and maximize opportunities in complex environments.
K2 Intelligence’s political risk reporting is recognized for its integrity and the quality of its analysis.
Our political reporting covers an expanding range of countries and regions, with a particular emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, the countries of the former Soviet Union, and the Indian subcontinent.
Our political reports are shaped by the specific requirements of our clients. Each of our reports is tailored to the interests of the client. Our reports are either individual assessments or ongoing assessments of political developments in a given jurisdiction offered on a retainer-based service.
Our clients include multinational corporations and governments.
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Corporate/Market Intelligence: Before our clients embark on strategic change, be it expansion of a core business, a vertical or horizontal diversification, or operational and technological innovation, we deliver a thorough grasp of the facts to provide a competitive advantage.
At K2 Intelligence we advise an increasing number of corporates and investors on key strategic issues, including:
Market entry and analysis: We reinforce decision making, often in developing and frontier markets, in order to reap greater returns. Critically, we focus on primary sources, talking directly to those currently involved in a region or sector, thus avoiding reliance on, perhaps, less accurate market research.
Competitive intelligence: In both current and planned markets it is critical to understand the drivers and dynamics of the competition. K2 Intelligence maps the competitive landscape and analyses the competition’s commercial, regulatory and political strengths and weaknesses, providing a clearer idea of where commercial advantage is gained. We also assess the influence of external stakeholders such as unions, regulators and Government.
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Reputational Assessment: In the age of the Internet it is increasingly important for companies and individuals to understand, contextualize, and, if need be, defend reputational concerns or inaccuracies.
Reputation is delicate, and often beyond our control. A groundless press report or a hostile campaign by a competitor can create undeserved damage. The issue of erroneous and malicious articles is especially important in emerging markets with more lax libel or defamation laws and a less rigorous media. Consequences can be severe, whether that means a deserting customer base, an inability to access finance, or a collapsing share price. An unforeseen event can leave a company scrambling to explain itself to the world. In such instances, the substance of the response is critical. The facts need to be straight.
Where a discrepancy exists between opinion and what the company knows to be true, K2 Intelligence can establish the facts and close the gap. When there is a need to learn and communicate the truth about a damaging incident, we will investigate, demonstrate what happened, and present a clear version to regulators, media, and shareholders.
Our services include:
- Conducting our own independent investigation into the issue in hand
- Investigating the source of rumors and conjecture
- Separating fact from fiction using both open source and firsthand intelligence
- Delivering our findings to relevant stakeholders, be they regulators, banks, the media or shareholders.
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Market Entry: With growth largely stagnant in developed markets, K2 Intelligence reinforces decision making in developing and frontier markets, extractive industries, or unfamiliar sectors in order to reap greater returns.
Critically, we focus on primary sources, talking directly to those currently involved in a region or sector. In so doing, we avoid reliance on market research, a risky strategy in fast-moving and frontier sectors and markets. Through our network we are able to uncover, investigate and advise our clients about vulnerabilities not picked up in the course of quantitative or traditional investment analysis.
We operate globally, with particular expertise in the sub-Saharan African and Central Eastern European regions.
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Emerging Markets: Projects in developing and frontier markets make up an increasingly important percentage of our business. In our experience, with transactions, disputes and regulatory matters, two concerns emerge—neither public records nor the rule of law can necessarily be relied upon. We provide a range of services designed to help you navigate an unfamiliar legal and regulatory landscape.
Our services include:
- On-the-ground advice, providing a firsthand assessment of the situation including issues such as regime stability and transparency of contracts. We let you know who’s really in control.
- Reviewing independent opinions of both the management team and the asset. Are they really as they seem?
- Understanding how your potential partner operates, where they cut corners and how they get things done without resorting to bribery.
- Dispute management. When in a dispute, we help you stay detached and offer robust advice around issues such as chances of success, chances of loss recovery, and the chances of making an elegant exit in a worst-case scenario.
