Key facts
- Morgan Stanley Asia's deal pipeline was leaked via a mis-sent email attachment.
- The leak involved a senior banker covering financial sponsors in Asia.
- The document listed approximately 60 live IPO, M&A, and block trade deals.
- Over 80 additional deals were categorized as 'pitching' or 'on hold'.
- Morgan Stanley confirmed the incident and stated it has taken steps to address it.
A senior Morgan Stanley banker in Asia accidentally leaked the firm's deal pipeline when it was mistakenly attached to a weekly update email sent to clients. The document, dated September 21, contained details on approximately 60 live IPO, M&A, and block trade deals across Greater China, South Korea, Southeast Asia, India, and the EMEA region. Additionally, it listed over 50 deals categorized as 'pitching' and nearly 30 as 'on hold', all involving Asian companies. The vast majority of companies on the list are portfolios of major global and regional private equity and venture capital firms. The banker later retracted the email, apologized for the mishap, and urged recipients to delete copies and refrain from circulating the document. Morgan Stanley acknowledged the incident, stating it takes client confidentiality extremely seriously and has taken prompt steps to address the inadvertent sharing of information. Bloomberg first reported on the incident late on Wednesday.