Relevant for Spain-focused searchers with access through IESE or another Spanish business school, providing the deepest financial data available on Spanish companies for advanced target screening and financial analysis.
SABI, the Iberian Balance Sheet Analysis System, is a financial database developed by Informa D&B in collaboration with Bureau van Dijk, now part of Moody’s Analytics. It covers over 3 million Spanish companies and over 1 million Portuguese companies with detailed standardised financial statements, ownership structures, management information, financial ratios and peer group comparisons going back up to 25 years. For search funds focused on Spain or Portugal it is the most powerful financial analysis tool available for building a deeply filtered target list and conducting structured financial benchmarking across large numbers of companies simultaneously.
Why searchers use it
SABI’s main advantage over eInforma for a searcher is depth and analytical power. A searcher can build a target list filtered simultaneously by sector, region, revenue range, EBITDA, employee count, ownership type and financial ratios, then compare targets against sector benchmarks and export the results to a spreadsheet for further analysis. This level of multi-criteria financial screening is not available through eInforma’s online interface. SABI also covers Portugal, making it the natural tool for searchers considering targets across the Iberian Peninsula. The standardised financial data format across all companies also makes it easier to compare targets consistently during the screening phase. Given that Spain is where search funds originated in Europe and IESE Business School in Barcelona has a SABI subscription available to students and alumni, this access route is genuinely realistic for many Spanish searchers.
Core capabilities relevant to search funds
- Advanced filtering: Build target lists filtered simultaneously by sector, region, revenue, EBITDA, employee count, legal form and financial ratios, the most powerful multi-criteria search available for Spanish companies
- Standardised financial data: Comparable financial statements including revenue, EBITDA, balance sheet and cash flow for over 3 million Spanish and over 1 million Portuguese companies
- Historical data: Up to 25 years of financial history per company, useful for understanding long-term business trends during target evaluation
- Peer group benchmarking: Compare individual target companies against sector peer groups to contextualise financial performance
- Ownership and management data: Shareholder structures and management information for understanding ownership complexity
- Data export: Export filtered target lists and financial data to Excel or CSV for further analysis and CRM import
- Iberian coverage: Covers both Spain and Portugal, the only tool in this section providing comprehensive Portuguese company data
Honest limitations
The practical access route for the majority of Spain-focused searchers is through a business school library subscription, with IESE Barcelona being the most relevant given its centrality to the European search fund community. Searchers without active business school access should use eInforma which covers the core needs at accessible pricing. Financial data quality for the smallest SMEs varies since micro-companies have limited filing obligations in Spain.
Getting started
Check whether your business school or alumni network provides SABI access. IESE, IE Business School and most major Spanish university libraries with business programmes have active subscriptions. For direct commercial access contact Informa D&B or Moody’s Analytics directly.
Pricing
Enterprise subscription pricing, not publicly available. Primarily accessed through business school library subscriptions at no additional cost to students and alumni. Commercial pricing on request from Informa D&B or Moody’s Analytics.
