Japanese M&A deals in the UK hit $9.5bn last year, boosted by Nikkei’s purchase of the Financial Times February 16, 2016 Nikkei's purchase of the Financial Times helped Japanese acquisitions in the UK reach $9.5bn (£6.6bn) last year, according to new analysis from Deloitte. The figure is the highest level this century and dwarfs the $0.67bn in Japanese UK deals recorded for 2014, the accountancy firm's research shows. Nikkei, Japan's largest media company, announced last July [...]
BT completes £12.5bn EE deal today – and the sector’s M&A activity could be a good thing for consumers who want more from their providers January 29, 2016 So it’s finally official: BT now owns EE. The result is a telecoms market that looks very different this morning than yesterday, with BT gaining access to the one in three UK mobile users already on EE. Existing EE customers can expect to see some exciting offers over the coming months as BT tries to persuade them to [...]
Manufacturers in the south east of England see M&A boom thanks to interest from overseas buyers January 20, 2016 Manufacturers in the south east of England are attracting the attention of overseas investors, sparking a surge in M&A activity. According to figures shown exclusively to City A.M. today by law firm Irwin Mitchell, which were based on analysis of data from Experian, M&A deals in the manufacturing sector grew by five per cent in [...]
UK dealmakers: M&A deals take too long to close as indecisive sellers hold up mergers January 5, 2016 UK dealmakers complain that M&A deals take too long to close, as fresh research shows that the average deal wastes 12 working days. The M&A market may be booming, but most dealmakers want to be able to close twice as many deals as they do today. Data room provider Ansarada surveyed over 500 bankers, lawyers, [...]
China, the US presidential election and tech unicorns: Everything you need to know about M&A in 2016 December 23, 2015 M&A activity in 2015 has closed out strongly in value terms, with the blockbuster deals we’ve seen in the last few months propping up headline numbers. The outflow of capital from the US has also been a positive factor. However, the mega deals are masking a degree of uncertainty that has crept into the market [...]
How to use contacts and influence customer service workers: M&A adviser lets rip on Nationwide boss Graham Beale December 22, 2015 Working in finance comes with many perks. Even after the salaries, bonuses and outings with clients, there’s still fun to be found in terrorising the customer service workers of your colleagues and rivals’ banks. One M&A adviser has been using the opportunity to practise his boardroom bulldog tactics. Nicky Samengo-Turner, adviser with Hundon Hall, has [...]
Asian investors’ spending on UK tech M&A has jumped to almost £4.5bn this year December 14, 2015 The UK's tech companies have been flavour of the month, or even year, for Asian investors, with Asian-led M&A worth $6.78bn (£4.48bn) in 2015, up from $867m in 2014. The total invested through M&A since 2010 is $20.7bn. The amount invested through private placements has increased by an incredible 2,450 per cent, from $7m in 2013 [...]
Lots of cash, cheap debt and board confidence meant 2015 was a record-smashing year for M&A with $3.9 trillion of deals, including AB InBev’s takeover of SABMiller and the Pfizer Allergan merger December 9, 2015 It has been a record smashing year for mergers and acquisitions: 2015 has seen the highest ever deal values in the US and in Asia, the first time there has been more than $1 trillion of deals in three consecutive quarters, and broken the global M&A record. So far this year, $3.9 trillion (£2.57 trillion) [...]
M&A activity in the UK increased 90 per cent in 2015, to highest levels since 2007 thanks to Shell’s BG deal and AB InBev’s takeover of SABMiller December 9, 2015 UK M&A activity is at its highest level since 2007, up 90 per cent from last year to $516.5bn (£344.4bn), according to EY. The number of deals increased more modestly, from 2,822 to 2,932, showing that 2015 has indeed been the year of the megadeal. UK companies are seen as a particularly attractive acquisition opportunity [...]
What’s going to happen to the tech industry in 2016? Fewer IPOs, compressed unicorn valuation and slowing M&A activity December 8, 2015 The year 2015 was packed with fintech unicorns, blockchain hype and tech bubble fears – but what’s in store for the tech industry in 2016? M&A advisers Magister Advisors have peered into their crystal ball and offered their top predictions. The TL;DR version? Expect 2015’s “reality distortion field” to dissolve next year. Gulp. 1. Don’t hold your breath for [...]