UK M&A activity experiencing a “major pause” due to looming EU referendum, market volatility and weakening pound March 22, 2016 The looming EU referendum, market volatility and the weakening of the pound have contributed to a fall in UK M&A activity, new research has found. Foreign spending on British acquisitions has dipped by nearly a third so far this year, according to Deloitte. Between 1 January and 8 March foreign buyers spent $24.4bn (£17.1bn) on acquiring British [...]
Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide sign off amended merger agreement, with Starwood shareholders now standing to gain a better cash deal March 21, 2016 Hospitality giants Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide today revealed that they had signed off on an amendment to their merger agreement. The new deal revises the value of Starwood shares to $13.6bn (£9.5bn) in total, which is $79.53 per share or $85.36 per share after consideration from separate transaction involving Interval Leisure Group is taken into [...]
Markit and IHS in $13bn merger to create “global information powerhouse” March 21, 2016 UK based analytics and market data firm Markit has agreed to a merge with US rival IHS in an all share deal to create a $13bn heavyweight. The new company will be called IHS Markit and will be headquartered in London. IHS shareholders will own 57 per cent of the company while Markit’s will hold 43 [...]
Law firms BLP and Greenberg Traurig end merger talks with parties unable to find “common ground” March 17, 2016 A proposed merger between City law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and US company Greenberg Traurig has been called off. The law firms confirmed they were in talks over a merger last month. But BLP has now said the two firms "could not find enough common ground". Read more: Law firm mergers drop as partners focus on growth-driven takeovers Lisa Mayhew, [...]
China Merchants Group makes informal bid for London’s Baltic Exchange, according to sources March 16, 2016 China Merchants Group has made an informal bid for London’s Baltic Exchange, according to sources. It emerged in February that the Baltic Exchange, a financial maritime hub located in the heart of the City of London, was being eyed by several companies, including the Singapore Exchange, CME Group, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), and Platts. And now [...]
London Stock Exchange group and Deutsche Boerse agree on “merger of equals” March 16, 2016 The London Stock Exchange group and Deutsche Boerse today agreed on a "merger of equals" which will bolster the two exchanges. If it goes through, LS shareholders will own 45.6 per cent of the new company. Meanwhile, shareholders of the Frankfurt-based exchange Deutsche Boerse will get the remaining 54.4 per cent. Last month, LSE revealed it was in merger talks [...]
Global finance M&A activity in 2016 hits seven-year high, with London Stock Exchange deal pushing UK to top of sector March 15, 2016 Global finance mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity is at its highest year-to-date level since 2009, according to new figures. And the UK has been the leading nation for finance-targeted M&A so far in 2016, according to Dealogic. Between 1 January and 14 March this year, the volume of reported finance-targeted M&A has been $56.2bn (£39.6bn). [...]
Mid-market businesses pursuing M&A “significantly” up in 2016, new study finds March 14, 2016 Mid-market businesses are “significantly more inclined” to engage in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in 2016 than previously, a new study has found. Some 53 per cent of mid-market business leaders are certain or likely to pursue M&A or external growth this year, Capstone Strategic’s State of Middle Market M&A 2015 found. The most likely reasons [...]
M&A firm Clearwater International expands further into Europe with French and German company mergers March 14, 2016 London-headquartered Clearwater International, a mid-market mergers and acquisitions (M&A) firm, has today grown its presence further into Europe. Germany-based @Visory and France’s Easton Corporate Finance have merged into the company with immediate effect. Clearwater will now have 15 office locations, with around 200 staff now covering Europe, North America and Asia. The company said it [...]
Standard Bank talks up “buoyant” 2016 African landscape for M&A March 10, 2016 Africa’s landscape for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is "buoyant” and there are more opportunities in the continent than ever before, according to South Africa-based Standard Bank. “There has been an increase in M&A activity, especially in East and West Africa, as European multinationals search for opportunities to counter slowing growth at home," said the bank's [...]