BDO Belgium acquires treasury advisory specialist O² Finance

Deal strengthens CFO services and creates a European treasury advisory hub with BDO France

Happy people with the aqcuisition
BDO Belgium has acquired treasury advisory specialist O² Finance, strengthening its capabilities in CFO advisory and joining forces with BDO France to establish a European centre of excellence in corporate treasury and commodity/energy risk management. The initiative targets mid- to large-cap corporates facing increasing complexity in treasury, liquidity and financial risk management.  

The transaction reflects growing demand from CFOs for specialised treasury expertise as they navigate volatile markets. By joining forces, BDO Belgium and O² Finance can now cater to their specific demands on a large scale. 

O² Finance adds a strong specialisation in corporate treasury services covering financial and commodity/energy risk management, system selection & implementation, working capital reporting and operational excellence, treasury transformation (mergers/spin-offs) and debt and capital markets advisory. By joining BDO, the firm will leverage the group’s international platform and client network to accelerate growth while maintaining its specialised positioning. For BDO Belgium, this acquisition adds a strategic expertise that will be expanded in the coming years.  

European center of excellence 

This acquisition has been co-piloted with BDO France, which already has a team of around 35 treasury specialists. With the O² Finance team, BDO’s treasury team will have an additional competence hub in Brussels covering the Benelux market and expanding the service offering towards commodity/energy risk management. With its integrated team, BDO is now in a position to build a pan-European corporate treasury service offering. 

"O² Finance has an impressive track record in corporate treasury advice with top Tier 1 clients. We are therefore very proud to welcome the O² Finance team and to provide them the platform to accelerate their growth," says Peter Van Laer, CEO of BDO Belgium.  

"Performance driven corporate treasury advice responds to a series of challenges CFOs are facing today”, Alexander Veithen, co-Managing Partner BDO Advisory adds. “The fast-paced technological evolution and the highly volatile markets require CFOs to re-assess the robustness and performance of their treasury/commodity/energy risk management strategies, organization, systems and processes. O² Finance is the right partner to provide such advice." 

Olivier Cattoor, co-founder of O² Finance, says “Our customers operate internationally and expect a partner with scale and network. By joining BDO, we will increase our ability to deliver larger and more complex projects, unlock recruitment potential and accelerate growth within an international framework. Together with my O² Finance partners, Olivier Kaczmarek and Philippe Beuls, we want to continue serving our clients with the same focus, dedication and passion, and give our team the opportunities to further develop. We also look forward to reinforcing BDO’s CFO advisory capabilities and to building a European centre of excellence.”   

Paul Guerrier et Grégoire Huon, both Partners Liquidity Management Services at BDO France, underline that “By bringing together our complementary strengths, we are creating a platform with the scale, expertise and cross-border capabilities to support clients across Europe. It also strengthens our service offering, particularly in France, where the integration of the O² Finance team will further reinforce our capabilities in financial risk management and accounting.”   

Signing contract Karen Keuleers & Peter Van Laer

Deep-dive Expertise

Treasury will become a fully-fledged pillar within BDO’s CFO Services, alongside Deal Advisory, Digital Enterprise Solutions and Risk Advisory. 

By investing specifically in additional expertise, BDO opts for further specialisation rather than broadening. The new European corporate treasury advisory is intended to become a reference player in the high-end CFO service market segment.