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Transactions UK
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June 20, 2024
A&O Shearman-Led Bridgepoint Makes £626M Offer For Rival
Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Ltd. said Thursday that a company controlled by asset fund manager Bridgepoint Advisers is weighing a £578 million ($734 million) takeover and that it would recommend that to shareholders if it makes a formal bid.
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June 20, 2024
Sainsbury's To Pay NatWest £125M To Exit Bank Unit
Sainsbury's will pay NatWest approximately £125 million ($159 million) to take on most of the personal banking assets of the U.K. retail giant, the companies said Thursday, as grocers look to exit the consumer banking market.
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June 19, 2024
Trade Body Sets Up Committee For M&A Insurance Market
A trade body for underwriters said Wednesday that it has launched a committee on specialist insurance to cover risk associated with mergers and acquisitions, amid a surge in such policies being written from London.
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June 19, 2024
GE Aerospace To Quit 3 European Stock Exchanges
General Electric Co. said Wednesday that it plans to end its listing on the London, Paris and Zurich stock exchanges following an internal review after it launched after it became a standalone company.
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June 19, 2024
Investors Sell £43M Worth Of Helios Telecoms Shares
Helios Towers PLC said Wednesday that two stakeholders, private equity firm Newlight Partners LP and investment trust RIT Capital Partners PLC, have sold a total of £43.2 million ($55 million) of stock in the telecommunications company, which operates in Africa and the Middle East.
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June 19, 2024
DLA Piper, Florent Steer €30M Capital Raise For Pipeline Biz
Investor HydrogenOne Capital Growth PLC said on Wednesday that hydrogen pipeline maker Strohm Holding BV, has raised €30 million ($32 million) in new funds, in a deal advised by DLA Piper and Dutch law firm Florent.
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June 19, 2024
Vodafone Sells 18% Stake In Indian Cell Tower Biz For $1.8B
Vodafone Group PLC said on Wednesday that it has sold an 18% stake in Indus Towers Ltd. of India for 153 billion rupees ($1.83 billion) as the U.K. telecommunications giant looks to finance its debt repayments.
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June 19, 2024
Swiss Watchdog Ends UBS-Credit Suisse Merger Controls
Switzerland's financial watchdog said Wednesday that it has cleared the takeover by UBS of stricken rival Credit Suisse AG after finding that the rescue deal would not harm competition in any domestic market.
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June 19, 2024
Fieldfisher Steers £165M Mineral Biz Pension Deal
Insurance giant Aviva said on Wednesday that it has completed a full retirement savings plan buy-in worth £165 million ($210 million) sponsored by mineral miner and processor Sibelco UK Ltd., in a deal guided by Fieldfisher LLP.
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June 19, 2024
Zurich Buys 70% Stake In Indian Insurer For $670M
Swiss insurance giant Zurich said Wednesday that it has bought a 70% stake in Kotak Mahindra General Insurance for $488 million, the largest foreign investment in India's general insurance market since 2021.
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June 18, 2024
Microsoft Says Starbucks Ruling Hurts FTC's Activision Case
Microsoft told the Ninth Circuit on Monday that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling requiring labor regulators to meet a four-factor test in order to win a preliminary injunction undercuts the Federal Trade Commission's bid to halt the company's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc.
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June 18, 2024
Ex-Yukos Oil Investors Auction Russian Vodka TMs For €1.6M
The former shareholders of Yukos Oil Co. said Monday they have auctioned the Benelux rights to trademarks for 18 Russian vodka brands, including Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya, as they continue their effort to enforce $50 billion in arbitral awards against Russia.
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June 18, 2024
Regulator Reminds Merging Firms To Put Clients First
The regulator for solicitors in England and Wales on Tuesday issued a new warning notice, reminding law firms that their clients' interests must be the top priority during legal industry mergers and acquisitions.
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June 18, 2024
Hargreaves Lansdown Backs £5.4B CVC, Abu Dhabi Bid
The board of Hargreaves Lansdown PLC said Tuesday that it would be willing to recommend to its shareholders a sweetened £5.4 billion ($6.9 billion) takeover offer from a consortium of private equity companies, including CVC and the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi.
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June 18, 2024
Frasers Group To Buy Back Up To £80M Worth Of Shares
Frasers Group PLC on Tuesday commenced a share repurchase program worth up to £80 million ($101 million), a move expected to lower the size of the retail giant's outstanding share capital.
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June 18, 2024
STG Partners' Bid For Gresham Wins Regulatory Approvals
Gresham Technologies PLC said Tuesday that an attempt by U.S. private equity firm STG Partners LLC to buy the U.K.-based software business for £146.7 million ($186 million) has received a boost by gaining regulatory clearances.
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June 18, 2024
Burges Salmon Leads London Flotation Of US Meditech Biz
AOTI Inc. said on Tuesday that it has raised £35.1 million ($45 million) on its debut on the London stock market, which the U.S. medical technology group will use to expand the company and pay back debt.
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June 18, 2024
US Power-Supply Toolmaker Pulls £571M Bid For Rival
Advanced Energy Industries Inc. said on Tuesday that it will not make a £571 million ($724 million) offer for XP Power Ltd. of Singapore, after its rival power supplies maker rejected its approach.
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June 17, 2024
Judge Axes Ex-Stobart CEO's Conspiracy Claim
Allowing Stobart Group's former chief executive to reargue that he was the victim of a conspiracy to remove him as chair would be "an abuse of process," a London court ruled Monday as it struck out his claim against the company and five of its directors.
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June 17, 2024
Hygiene Products Biz Essity Announces $285M Buyback
Hygiene and health products maker Essity kicked off a scheme to repurchase its class B shares worth up to 3 billion Swedish kroner ($285 million) on Monday in a move expected to lower its outstanding share capital.
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June 17, 2024
Investment Co. Infortar To Make €388M Offer For Shipper
AS Infortar said Monday it will bid €388 million ($415.8 million) to buy out AS Tallink, a Baltic Sea shipper, as the Estonian private investor looks to increase its stake in the company despite the northern European country's troubled economy.
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June 17, 2024
Smoke Alarm Co. Gains Control Of UK Rival In £28M Deal
FireAngel said Monday that a Singapore-based home security company owned by alarm sensor specialist Siterwell Electronics Co. Ltd. has received the required shareholder backing from FireAngel shareholders for the acquisition of the U.K. maker of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
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June 17, 2024
White & Case-Led Ukraine Seeks Debt Relief By Aug. Deadline
The Ukraine government, advised by White & Case LLP, appealed on Monday to bondholders to help restructure its $19.5 billion of eurobond debt before a payments freeze it agreed with international creditors expires on Aug. 1.
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June 17, 2024
Hikma Pharma To Buy Rival's Injectable Biz For $135M
Hikma said on Monday it has agreed to buy units of Xellia, a Danish provider of anti-infective treatments and critical care therapies, for up to $185 million, as the U.K. pharmaceutical giant eyes growing its range of injectable drugs.
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June 17, 2024
Finnish Insurer Sampo Makes $4.7B Offer For Topdanmark
Finnish insurance group Sampo PLC said Monday that it will buy the remaining shares in Topdanmark that it does not own in a deal that values the Danish insurer at $4.7 billion.
Expert Analysis
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Preparing For M&A Under The Foreign Subsidies Regulation
The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation introduces requirements that companies operating in the region must consider in M&A transactions, and any foreign financial contributions received by a target should be checked during the due diligence stage, with specific provisions for commission approval if a notification requirement is triggered, say Hendrik Viaene and Stéphane Dionnet at McDermott.
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Important Generative AI Considerations In M&A
The recent surge of interest in generative artificial intelligence and its use of machine learning algorithms means there are novel concerns as well as inherent risks for those engaging in M&A activity, and acquirers should pay careful attention to a target’s scope of ownership and licensing rights, say attorneys at Davis Polk.
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Pension Trustee Case Could Lead To Fossil Fuels Divestment
While the recent Court of Appeal case McGaughey v. Universities Superannuation Scheme attempts to link fossil fuel investment by trustees to significant risk of financial detriment, it is concerning that two out of 470,000 scheme members could be permitted to bring a claim without ensuring that other members are represented, says Anna Metadjer at Kingsley Napley.
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Green Loans May Be Hungary's Path To Sustainable Financing
Fueled by a rising trend in the use of green loans, Hungary is making impressive progress in its journey toward achieving a net-zero future, although the development of social and sustainability-linked loans is still a work in progress, say Gergely Szalóki and Bálint Bodó at Schönherr.
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Tackling Global Inflation Is A Challenge For Antitrust Agencies
Recent events have put pressure on antitrust agencies to address the global cost-of-living crisis, but the relationship between competition and inflation is complex, and with competition agencies’ reluctance to act as price regulators, enforcement is unlikely to have a meaningful impact, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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What New FCA Management Will Mean For Enforcement
Therese Chambers’ first speech since becoming the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s joint executive director provided insightful observations about the expected behaviors of firms and their legal advisers during investigations, indicating the advent of a proactive, prosecution-minded enforcement agency trying to do the right thing, says Richard Burger at WilmerHale.
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Global M&A Outlook: Slow But Moving Along
Global merger and acquisition markets had a tough start to the year, with inflation, rising interest rates and the Ukraine conflict knocking sentiment, but in the macroeconomic, deal makers have continued to unearth pockets of activity to keep deal volumes ticking over, say lawyers at White & Case.
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Why Int'l Investors Should Keep An Eye On German M&A Regs
While German reform proposals will digitize corporate law formalities that have long been immune to change, international limitations remain, particularly for countries outside the European Union, as Germany moves to tighten regulatory hurdles to control inbound investment, say Marcus Geiss and Sonja Ruttmann at Gibson Dunn.
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CMA Review Could Help Shape UK's AI Landscape
The Competition and Markets Authority's recent review of the U.K. market for artificial intelligence foundation models is likely to feed into its recommendations concerning future legislative and regulatory changes, but may be overtaken by fast-changing developments, say lawyers at Cooley.
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Microsoft Takeover Shows The Need For EU-UK Cooperation
The differing European Commission and U.K. Competition and Markets Authority outcomes regarding Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard demonstrate the need for better cooperation in the post-Brexit era, but the regulators still follow a rigorous approach and ultimately convergence may prevail over divergence, say Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte and Raphaël Fleischer at King & Spalding.
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The Potential Benefits Of New EU Merger Control Rules
The core objective of a newly adopted EU Commission package is to simplify merger review procedures, which is an evolution that is more than welcome, especially in light of the very recent regulation on foreign subsidies that imposes additional burdens on M&A transactions, say lawyers at McDermott.
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Growing EU Scrutiny Increases Hurdles For Foreign Investors
The application of the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation from July will bring further oversight to many large deals, and together with bolt-on strategies, foreign investment regulation and antitrust enforcement, financial sponsors will need to start planning for compliance to avoid potential delays, say Anna Mitchell and Neil Hoolihan at Linklaters.
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How The New UK Digital Markets Bill Will Affect CMA's Powers
The highly anticipated U.K. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill sets out far-reaching changes in terms of merger control and conduct requirements, but some are skeptical of the Competition and Markets Authority’s enhanced powers and potential for divergence in treatment between firms, say Ben Chivers, Stephen Whitfield and Nigel Seay at Travers Smith.
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M&A Considerations For European Cos. Acquiring US Entities
As investment banks forecast a resurgence of mergers and acquisitions later this year, European companies seeking to acquire U.S. businesses should be aware of key procedural differences and federal regulatory requirements that will affect the process, timing and terms of the transaction, say attorneys at Mintz.
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A Review Of The EU FDI Screening Regulation And Its Scope
The EU advocate general’s recent broad interpretation of the EU Foreign Direct Investment Screening Regulation takes account of some of the geopolitical challenges faced by the bloc, and may foreshadow a revision of the regulation and widen the scope of investments screened, say Vassilis Akritidis and Jean-Baptiste Blancardi at Crowell & Moring.