Next 15 clears regulatory hurdles in M&C Saatchi takeover October 18, 2022 NEXT 15 cleared its final regulatory hurdle this morning as the London media firm hopes to finalise a deal to takeover M&C Saatchi after months of turbulence. The media firm said it had received confirmation from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), paving the way for a successful takeover. It follows [...]
Competition watchdog orders Facebook owner Meta to sell Giphy October 18, 2022 The competition watchdog told Facebook’s parent firm Meta this afternoon that it would need to dump Giphy, marking the first time the regulator has blocked a deal struck by a Big Tech firm. In its “final decision”, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that the combination of the two companies would allow Meta to [...]
New breed of private capital firms will face performance headwinds October 18, 2022 Under the private equity fundraising model, every few years fund managers secure capital commitments with a 10-year duration and charge management and advisory fees during the lock-up period. While longer-dated products have emerged over time, the basic pattern has remained essentially unchanged. Unfortunately, fundraising is cyclical. Downturns require patience: fund managers must wait until the [...]
CMA plans for price controls on emergency services radio network October 14, 2022 The UK’s competition watchdog has tabled plans to tackle excess profits at Motorola Solutions, after calling it a monopoly provider in the emergency service radio network. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that a lack of competition has allowed Motorola to make around £160m in excess profits a year, weighing on public funds [...]
City lawyer in the running to head competition watchdog October 12, 2022 The UK's competition watchdog could be closing in on a new boss, with a leading city lawyer tipped as a major contender for the hot seat.
CMA and food safety regulators ‘struggling to recruit’ post-Brexit, says MPs October 12, 2022 British food safety and competition regulators are “struggling to recruit and retain the skills they need to regulate effectively” post-Brexit, according to a Westminster committee of MPs. A new report from the cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today said some regulators need more staff post-Brexit to handle new responsibilities, leading to labour shortages. This has [...]
City minister defends ‘safety valve’ call-in power over financial regulators October 11, 2022 A proposed new power that allows Whitehall to overrule financial regulators will only be a “safety valve”, City minister Andrew Griffith has said. Griffith told a Westminster committee today that the new call-in power would only be used “sparingly” in the face of concerns that it will reduce the independence of the UK’s regulators. The [...]
Morrisons one step closer to watchdog green light for McColl’s takeover October 10, 2022 The competition watchdog has said it is minded to accept proposals from Morrisons that would alleviate any concerns over higher prices for consumers amid its takeover of McColl’s. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had raised competition concerns regarding a small number of areas amid the supermarket’s £190m takeover of the beleaguered convenience store chain. [...]
Viasat and Inmarsat $7.3bn merger could choke competition in wifi market, says CMA October 6, 2022 Viasat and Inmarsat’s $7.3bn (£6.4bn) merger faces further scrutiny from the UK’s competition watchdog over concerns it will choke competition in the aviation sector’s on-board wifi market. The Competition and Markets Authority said today that with both companies having a strong presence in the aviation market, the deal would remove a significant element of competition [...]
Mark Kleinman: Vodafone pressure, steel woes and a new business boss October 6, 2022 Mark Kleinman is the man the City reads – and in his fortnightly column for City A.M., he shares his insight and analysis. Vodafone boss hopes deal eases the pressure At last, an engaged tone. Two months after I wrote in this column that Nick Read, the Vodafone chief executive, was looking nervously over his [...]