Bernard Arnault helps Europe jump aboard the Spac bandwagon The market for 'blank cheque' firms has got off to a slow start on this side of the Atlantic – but it is growing 17 February 2021 • 6:00am Bernard Arnault, one of the world’s wealthiest men, amassed his fortune through savvy M&A deals over a four-decade-long career, so it should come as little surprise that the LVMH boss is taking the European lead on the latest dealmaking craze: special purpose acquisition vehicles – or “Spacs”. Spacs are types of “blank cheque” firms typically listed as a cash shell on a stock exchange with a promise to swoop on a takeover target.