Easyjet fires back at ‘highly opportunistic timing’ as Castlelake weighs takeover bid Aviation Easyjet has fired back at speculation of a takeover, after reports emerged that private credit firm Castlelake was weighing a bid. The budget airline said it notes the “highly opportunistic timing” of a potential offer as it asserted its share price is “temporarily depressed due to the current situation in the Middle East and its [...]
UK fintech Zempler Bank snapped up for less than half previous valuation Fintech London-based fintech Zempler Bank has been snapped up by Nigeria’s biggest bank in a deal that has slashed the firm’s valuation, City AM can reveal. The small business lender – formerly known as Cashplus – has been acquired by The Access Bank UK with a price tag of around £3.45p per share. The sale represents [...]
CAB Payments rejects ‘highly opportunistic’ Helios takeover bid Merger/Acquisition London fintech CAB Payments has pushed back against another takeover proposal from African-focused private investment giant Helios. The firm – which was behind the “worst IPO of the year” in 2023 – has said the increased takeover proposal from a consortium led by Helios Investment Partners was “highly opportunistic” and undervalued the company’s future. Helios [...]
Fitzwalter backs off Auction Tech after hostile bidding campaign February 2, 2026 Investment giant Fitzwalter has backed off Auction Technology Group after a hostile campaign between the two led to 13 different takeover attempts of the latter. The London-headquartered said on Monday ATG’s Board had unanimously rejected its proposed offer of 400 pence per share. The offer sat above the UK market median for similar cash transactions [...]
Foreign takeovers risk turning UK into an ‘incubator economy’ September 15, 2025 The UK is facing a time crunch to avoid becoming an “incubator economy” as foreign takeovers continue to sweep the London market. A collection of top venture capital investors and founders have called for crucial reforms to the markets ecosystem with a focus on pensions and the IPO environment. The reforms, as outlined in a [...]
Foreign takeovers to propel UK M&A volumes above £50bn September 3, 2025 UK markets are bracing for a major bump in mergers and acquisitions with the total value of deals expected to top £50bn in 2025. Fresh data from the Office for National Statistics showed the value of domestic deals jumped to £3.4bn in the second quarter, up £600m from the first three months of the year. [...]
Wood Group likely to recommend takeover sparking delisting fears July 28, 2025 London-listed engineering and consulting firm Wood Group said it is likely to recommend a takeover by Middle Eastern-based privately owned company Sidara sparking another potential delisting from the London Stock Exchange. Wood said on Monday that Sidara, formerly known as Dar Al-Handasah, had expressed interest in acquiring the group with a 35p per share deal. [...]
M&A volumes jump as US bidders snap up UK tech July 2, 2025 US private equity firms are continuing to swoop for UK tech companies leading to a jump in merger and acquisition (M&A) volumes. Giants from across the Atlantic have taken a heightened interest in UK stock, which analysts pegged to the “cheap and undervalued” nature of equities. UK public M&A activity almost tripled in the first [...]
One twist left in the PHP and KKR bidding war for Assura June 23, 2025 The Assura bidding war between KKR and PHP looked to be sealing its final chapter on Monday – but analysts warn there could be one more twist in the saga. Assura said on Monday it had recommended its board to accept a fresh cash offer from PHP, which valued the firm at £1.79bn. The deal [...]
Spectris agrees to £3.8bn takeover but KKR threatens bidding war June 23, 2025 Industrial group Spectris has agreed to a £3.8bn takeover by US private equity Advent but a bidding war could be brewing as KKR mulls a rival offer. The FTSE 250 firm has been valued at £37.73 per share in the deal. Shares jumped 13.5 per cent as markets opened on Monday to around 3,726. Private [...]