- Introduction: Data as the New Deal Driver in Indian
M&A
In the contemporary digital economy, personal data has emerged
as one of the most valuable corporate assets. Businesses today
collect, process, store and monetise vast volumes of personal data
relating to customers, employees, vendors, users and partners. In
several technology-driven sectors, such as e-commerce, fintech,
SaaS, healthtech, edtech, AI and digital platforms, data is not
merely incidental to the business; it is the business.
Against this backdrop, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in
India are undergoing a structural shift. Traditionally, M&A due
diligence focused on financials, contracts, litigation, regulatory
approvals and tax exposures. Data protection and privacy
considerations were often treated as ancillary compliance issues.
That position is no longer tenable.
