28 Oct 2025
How Investment Bankers Can Slash Due Diligence Time and Still Make Smarter Decisions
For investment banking analysts, due diligence often means long nights, endless tabs, and high stakes. The information must be right, and the timing must be perfect, which simply isn’t sustainable or attainable.
A 2025 Forrester Consulting Total Economic Impact (TEI) study commissioned by LexisNexis reveals that investment in Nexis’ intelligent research tool can lead to a 30% reduction in research time, freeing analysts to focus on higher-value tasks while enhancing the quality of insights they deliver proving that investments in quality research tools is more than a productivity gain and stands to be acknowledged as a strategic advantage.
The Old Way of Research Is Slowing You Down
Most analysts are used to the routine behind vetting a company, which often includes pulling together data from a maze of subscriptions, free sources, and internal notes. Verifying it can take hours and by the time a polished report reaches a VP or MD, the deal might have already moved forward.
That’s where the inefficiencies pile up and where better tools start to make a measurable difference.
According to the TEI study, firms using Nexis experienced nearly $986,000 in time-related efficiency gains over three years by automating and consolidating searches. For analysts, that translates into sharper turnarounds, fewer gaps, and the ability to deliver high-confidence insights under pressure.
Speed Doesn’t Have to Sacrifice Substance
There’s often an assumption in banking that faster research means more surface-level thinking. But the data shows otherwise.
The TEI study highlights how Nexis helps researchers go deeper, faster without sacrificing the credibility of their findings. One chief legal and compliance officer in manufacturing interviewed for the study noted:
“Our users get consistently deeper results, and … [they] trust they can count on those results more than the ‘cobble together’ approach we had before.”
This is especially important in high-stakes environments where junior team members are expected to deliver airtight analysis with minimal oversight. When the underlying data is consistent and global in scope, analysts can present insights with more conviction.
Global Coverage Isn’t a Bonus, It’s a Requirement
Deals today don’t stop at borders. Whether you’re evaluating a target in Southeast Asia or navigating regulatory complexities in Eastern Europe, global visibility is critical.
The TEI study underscores this, with the interviewed chief legal and compliance officer in manufacturing explaining:
“We do business all over the world… and the number of countries covered is really critical for us.”
Multilingual, locally sourced data helps uncover risk signals that might never surface through mainstream channels. From sanctions exposure to reputational issues buried in regional news, these details can shape or derail deal outcomes.
That’s why analysts should be leaning into tools that go beyond surface-level results. With smarter platforms, you can flag risks earlier, brief senior teams with greater precision, and ensure nothing critical gets missed in a cross-border deal. It’s how research becomes not just faster, but fundamentally better.
Elevating Research to Enable Confident Decision-Making
The TEI study found that organisations using Nexis saw a $1.1 million business impact from faster, more informed decision-making over a three-year period.
That figure speaks volumes about the role of analysts in shaping strategic outcomes. When your work helps senior bankers make faster, smarter decisions, you’re not just completing diligence, you’re contributing to the firm’s competitive edge.
And with platforms like Nexis transforming the research process, analysts are spending less time chasing scattered facts and more time acting as trusted insight providers.
Strategic Insight Starts with the Analyst
The pressure to deliver faster doesn’t have to come at the expense of depth, accuracy, or confidence.
By adopting tools designed to streamline diligence while expanding your insight, you gain back time, reduce risk, and build the kind of credibility that earns trust at every level of the deal team.
Because in the end, it’s not just about working faster, it’s about thinking smarter.
Ready to See the Full Impact?
To explore the numbers behind the time savings, business impact, and research transformation, read the full Forrester Total Economic Impact study commissioned by LexisNexis for a composite organisation based on interviewed customers.