Asahi could be about to snap up more of SABMiller’s beers ahead of AB InBev sale June 5, 2016 Downing Peroni and Grolsch has not quenched Asahi's thirst it seems. The Japanese brewing giant is weighing a £5bn bid for some of SABMiller’s eastern European beer brands, including Pilsner Urquell. Earlier this year Asahi picked up Peroni, Grolsch, and London's Meantime for almost £2bn after AB InBev put them up for sale following its successful takeover attempt of SABMiller – in a deal dubbed Megabrew. [...]
Bayer secures €60bn loan facility to fund Monsanto bid June 2, 2016 In a bid to fund its $62bn takeover of US seeds company Monsanto, German drugs giant Bayer has secured a loan facility of a whopping €60bn. German newspaper Handelsblatt reported that Bayer secured a bridge loan from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, HSBC , Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. Talks for the takeover started in May after [...]
German regulator asks for more information on Deutsche Boerse-London Stock Exchange tie-up June 2, 2016 The German politician responsible for approving Deutsche Boerse’s merger with the London Stock Exchange has said he requires “further information” on the deal. Tarek Al-Wazir, economy minister for the State of Hesse, where Deutsche Boerse is based in Frankfurt, made the statement after the exchange houses published a shareholder prospectus for the deal yesterday. Read [...]
Channel 4 takes stake in multimedia firm behind Bear Grylls’ YouTube channel June 2, 2016 In a bid to ramp up its digital prowess, Channel 4 has taken a stake in multimedia content company Barcroft Media Holdings. The deal was Channel 4's first investment as part of its Commercial Growth Fund which was launched last year to help "high growth potential companies to build their business through advertising on Channel 4 marketing platforms". Barcroft Holdings' [...]
Saudi wealth fund invests $3.5bn in Uber June 1, 2016 Controversial taxi app Uber has raised $3.5bn (£2.43bn) from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund valuing the company at $62.5bn. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund will now own approximately 5 per cent of Uber and the fund's managing director Yasir al-Rumayyan will join the company's board. Other board members include Benchmark Capital general partner Bill Gurley and Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington. [...]
Deutsche Boerse exec: London Stock Exchange merger is “the last chance for Europe” June 1, 2016 A senior Deutsche Boerse exec has described the company's impending merger with the London Stock Exchange as "the last chance for Europe", after the two giants revealed details of their proposed £21bn tie-up. Jeffrey Tessler told City A.M. that the deal would create a “global powerhouse” in Europe with the power to stimulate the continent's struggling [...]
London Stock Exchange-Deutsche Boerse merger could lead to 1,250 job losses June 1, 2016 The London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse could cut up to 1,250 jobs if their planned merger goes ahead. The companies are targeting annual cost savings of at least €250m (£194m) in the fifth year after completion of the deal, and €160m in the third year. This is in addition to €450m of annual cost synergies previously announced and expected [...]
Goldman Sachs president positive on 2016 M&A despite slowdown on record 2015 June 1, 2016 Goldman Sachs has a positive outlook for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in 2016 despite a slow start to the year. The bank’s president, Gary Cohn, has said the conditions that led to a record year for M&A in 2015 still exist, as he talked up the business’s future prospects. Read more: Oil and gas [...]
It will be “a marathon rather than a sprint”: Bayer’s takeover of Monsanto might take a while June 1, 2016 The chief executive of Bayer has said its attempted takeover of US GM seeds company Monsanto will be a “marathon rather than a sprint”. The German drugs and chemicals giant confirmed it had made a $62bn (£42bn) offer for Monsanto last Monday. It was rejected the next day, but both companies have indicated a willingness [...]
Baird teams up with Brazilian bank BR Partners for European M&A expansion May 31, 2016 US investment bank Baird, is joining forces with Brazilian bank BR Partners in a so-called strategic alliance. The partnership is intended to increase the number of US and European mergers and acquisitions both in to and out of Brazil. According to Baird the UK and Europe need to diversify their M&A activity away from the [...]