The year in law: Scale, survival, and the surge of the transatlantic titans December 23, 2025 From the birth of new transatlantic titans to a government-led rescue of the litigation funding market, 2025 has seen the City’s legal landscape rewritten by a relentless pursuit of scale and a newfound reliance on the machine. The legal sector started the year with US President Donald Trump attacking the industry, as Trump vs Big [...]
Blockbuster FTSE merger abandoned after shareholder fury December 1, 2025 A plan to merge two FTSE-listed funds to form the UK’s largest infrastructure investment firm has been abandoned after shareholders expressed frustration with the terms of the deal. HICL Infrastructure said it will no longer be proceeding with its planned merger with The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) after its board “determined that it cannot progress [...]
Yet another Transatlantic tie-up: Ashurst and Perkins Coie announce $2.7bn merger November 17, 2025 UK law firm Ashurst has agreed to merge with the US law firm Perkins Coie, the latest move in a series of large transatlantic tie-ups in the legal sector. After a week of speculation about Ashurst being in merger talks, the firm agreed a deal with Settle-based Perkins Coie to become a $2.7bn law firm, [...]
Mixed shareholder reaction after huge £5.3bn FTSE 250 infrastructure merger November 17, 2025 Shareholders of two of the UK’s biggest infrastructure funds have had mixed reactions after the firms reached an agreement to merge in a blockbuster £5.3bn deal. FTSE 250-listed HICL Infrastructure and The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) said they had signed heads of terms on the business combination, in a move that will see voluntary winding [...]
UK and Irish BDO firms set sights on ‘landmark’ mid-market merger November 5, 2025 The UK arm of accountancy and business advisory giant BDO is in merger talks with its Irish counterpart, highlighting a clear ambition for growth. The potential merger would be a landmark moment for both businesses. It would create one of the biggest accountancy firms in Europe, focusing on the entrepreneurial, growing, and ambitious mid-market heartland. [...]
RSM UK approves merger with US arm, backing partnership over private equity October 23, 2025 Accountancy firm RSM UK has greenlit a merger with its US sister, RSM US, to create a $5bn (£3.75bn) new partnership structure, in the first major transatlantic combination in the accountancy sector. It was reported last October that both firms were in talks, with a focus on the mid-market. On Thursday, after a “near-unanimous vote” [...]
In focus: Getty and Shutterstock merger gets CMA probe October 20, 2025 The $3.7bn (£2.7bn) merger between Getty Images and Shutterstock is to be the subject of an in-depth probe from the UK’s competition watchdog after ‘substantial concerns’ were flagged. The deal, which was first announced in January, had already attracted the eye of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in June but will now be looked into [...]
Blow to Anglo American as disruption at Teck mines leads to cut in production October 8, 2025 Anglo American’s planned merger with Canadian miner Tech Resources has suffered a setback after Teck admitted a series of issues with its mines that would lead to a cut in the production forecasts it had previously given shareholders. Following what Teck described as a “comprehensive operational review,” the company has slashed the upper end of [...]
ABF: Primark owner’s shares sink as sales slow at FTSE 100 giant September 10, 2025 Shares in Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) have plunged after posting what analysts branded a “mixed bag” of results. The FTSE 100 warned that challenging conditions were weighing on the company’s trading, listing consumer caution, geopolitical uncertainty and inflation as top factors. Shares plunged 13 per cent on the news to their lowest value [...]
Top Tory slams Anglo American’s move to relocate HQ to Canada September 9, 2025 Anglo American will merge with Canada’s Teck Resources in a $50bn (£36bn) deal, shifting its headquarters to Canada and reducing its London presence in a move criticised by shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith. The Tory MP said it represents a blow to UK business and confidence in London. The new entity, to be called Anglo [...]