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Transactions UK
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June 06, 2024
Shein's London Float Invites Scrutiny Of ESG Issues
The decision by Shein to choose London for its much-anticipated flotation is a boon for the U.K. market — but it exposes the ultra-fast fashion company to scrutiny of perceived ESG shortfalls that might serve as a new litmus test for other businesses seeking a listing in the British capital.
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June 06, 2024
Smoke Alarm Co.'s £28M Bid For Rival Wins 71% Backing
FireAngel Safety Technology Group PLC said Thursday that Singapore-based home security company Intelligent Safety Electronics Pte. Ltd. has now bought or agreed to buy 71.18% of the U.K. smoke and carbon monoxide detector maker.
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June 06, 2024
Watford FC Fans Set To Score In Sale Of 10% Of Club
English football club Watford has put 10% of the outfit up for sale for £17.5 million ($22.4 million) to fans and investors, in a bid to raise revenue and strengthen the squad.
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June 06, 2024
Haynes Boone Guides Natural Gas Producer's SPAC Merger
An Italian natural gas producer has said that it will merge with a Nasdaq-listed blank check company to help accelerate its transition to clean energy in a deal steered by Haynes and Boone and Greenberg Traurig.
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June 05, 2024
Debevoise-Led Ambac Unveils 2 Deals Totaling $702M
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP-led Ambac Financial Group on Wednesday announced two deals totaling $702 million, as the insurance holding company said it agreed to sell its financial guarantee business for $420 million in cash and separately announced that it will purchase a majority stake in Beat Capital Partners for roughly $282 million.
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June 05, 2024
Microsoft Blasts Gamers' Bid To Add To Activision Appeal
Microsoft Corp. says the Ninth Circuit should reject a "bevy of additional, extra-record 'facts'" seeking to hold up the recent layoffs of 1,900 Activision and Xbox employees as proof that the tech giant's acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. was anticompetitive.
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June 05, 2024
Orrick-Led SAP Inks $1.5B Deal For Israeli Tech Co. WalkMe
German software company SAP SE said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase software-as-a-service company WalkMe Ltd. for approximately $1.5 billion.
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June 05, 2024
Gov't UK ISA Savings Proposal Gets Cold Shoulder
More financial firms on Wednesday warned that the U.K. government's plans to give consumers a new tax break for investing in U.K. companies was unworkable, adding it could conflict with the Financial Conduct Authority's consumer protection rules.
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June 05, 2024
Swiss Bank Escapes Investor's Unlawful Conspiracy Claim
Lombard Odier has partially succeeded in blocking the claims of an investor who says the private bank withheld inside information about the merits of a British nanotech company's U.S. legal dispute with Samsung to convince him to buy shares in the company just before its price tanked.
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June 05, 2024
Ad Agency Mission Weighs New Offer From Rival Brave Bison
The Mission Group PLC has said it is now evaluating rival Brave Bison's improved possible offer to buy the company for £32.3 million ($41.2 million), although it added the bid fails to reflect the U.K. digital marketing company's value.
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June 05, 2024
Pinsent Mason Guides Lab Services Biz On £11M Fundraise
Angle PLC said Wednesday it has successfully raised gross proceeds of approximately £8.8 million ($11 million) by issuing shares to investors in a targeted £11 million fundraising exercise advised by Pinsent Masons LLP.
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June 05, 2024
UK Investment Firm Raises €300M For Energy Transition Fund
British investment manager Foresight Group said Wednesday that it has raised €300 million ($326 million) for its second fund, which is aimed at investing in renewable energy generation and infrastructure.
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June 05, 2024
Private Equity Giant To Buy €438.7M Stake In Italy's FiberCop
KKR will buy the stake held by the Italian subsidiary of Swisscom AG in a fiber company for €438.7 million ($476.8 million), the companies said on Wednesday, as the private equity giant expands its presence in the telecommunications market in the country.
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June 05, 2024
AstraZeneca Completes $2.4B Deal To Buy Pharma Co. Fusion
Drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Wednesday that it has bought Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Canadian company that specializes in oncology, for $2.4 billion in cash to bolster its range of cancer treatments.
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June 04, 2024
HP Fraud Charges Against Ex-Autonomy Execs Head To Jury
Closing arguments wrapped Tuesday in a California federal criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch and ex-finance vice president Stephen Chamberlain duped HP into overpaying billions for the British tech company, with Chamberlain's lawyer saying his client did his job "in good faith," which, in the court's eyes, is a "complete defense."
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June 04, 2024
Apollo Leading $11B Investment For 49% Stake In Intel JV
Apollo Global Management said Tuesday it's heading up an $11 billion investment to acquire a 49% interest in a joint venture with Intel Corp. related to Intel's Fab 34 chip factory in Leixip, Ireland.
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June 04, 2024
Illumina Board Puts Grail Spinoff In Motion After EU OK
Illumina Inc. said Tuesday that its board had approved a spinoff of its cancer detection company following a push by activist heavyweight Carl Icahn and an ultimate order from European authorities to dispose of the asset.
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June 04, 2024
Faron Pharmaceuticals Launches €30.7M Fundraise
Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy on Tuesday announced a program to raise approximately €30.7 million ($33.4 million) as it looks to secure funding to meet its key milestones, including the development of its lead medical therapy.
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June 04, 2024
Tech Co. Checkit To Buy Rival Crimson Tide For £12M
U.K. software company Checkit PLC said Tuesday it has agreed to merge with peer Crimson Tide for £12 million ($15 million) to grow the business.
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June 04, 2024
Enviro Assets Investor To Launch £10M Share Buyback
Green assets investor Octopus said on Tuesday that it is launching a share buyback worth up to £10 million ($12.8 million) — the first chunk of a wider program that aims to reduce outstanding share capital amid concerns its stock is undervalued.
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June 04, 2024
Blackstone, Regis To Buy £580M New-Homes Portfolio
Real estate investors Blackstone and Regis will buy a portfolio of new-build homes worth £580 million ($740 million) from Vistry Group PLC, the U.K. home builder said on Tuesday.
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June 03, 2024
Ex-Autonomy CEO 'Had 500M Reasons' For Fraud, Jury Told
Autonomy's ex-CEO Michael Lynch "had 500 million reasons to defraud HP," since he reaped $500 million by selling his company to the tech giant at an inflated price, a federal prosecutor argued Monday during closings for the businessman's criminal trial, while Lynch's lawyer told jurors, "HP was not a victim."
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June 03, 2024
Everton's Sale To Embattled PE Firm Off The Table, For Now
Everton Football Club has let its sale to private equity firm 777 Partners LLC lapse amid legal troubles for the buyer and concerns from minority shareholders about the deal, although no official reason was given in its Saturday announcement.
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June 03, 2024
LexisNexis Acquires Belgian Contract Co. Henchman
LexisNexis Legal & Professional announced Monday the acquisition of Belgium-based contracting drafting platform Henchman.
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June 03, 2024
Apax Sells £92.4M Worth Of Shares In Baltic Classifieds Group
Private equity firm Apax Partners LLP said Monday it has sold 40 million shares in the capital of Baltic Classifieds Shares PLC, a Lithuanian holding company, for approximately £92.4 million ($120 million).
Expert Analysis
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What The New Digital Markets Bill Will Mean For Companies
The recently passed Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill will bring significant reform to U.K. merger control and antitrust rules for all businesses, but the introduction of a strategic market status regime and its reporting obligations means large tech organizations in particular need to think carefully about the forthcoming changes, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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Insurance Ruling Stresses High Hurdle To Fix Policy Wording
In Project Angel v. Axis, the Court of Appeal recently refused to rewrite the exclusion clause of an insurance policy, reminding parties in the warranty and indemnity market to carefully word clauses, as there is a high threshold before courts will intervene to amend policies, say Joseph Moore and Laura McCann at Travers Smith.
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CMA Reports Signal Tighter Scrutiny Of AI Model Markets
The Competition and Markets Authority’s recent reports on artificial intelligence foundation models suggest that competition in AI is not working as it should, so large digital firms can expect the regulator to use its full toolbox as it continues to monitor and investigate the sector, say lawyers at Cooley.
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How Gov't Response Addresses Investment Act Concerns
The government’s recently published response to a call for evidence on the National Security and Investment Act is largely appropriate to stakeholder concerns raised and demonstrates in its five areas of focus that it is willing to respond to live issues, say lawyers at Watson Farley.
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Pharma Remains A Key Focus Of EU Antitrust Enforcement
The recently published European Commission report on pharmaceutical sector competition law illustrates that effective enforcement of EU rules remains a matter of high priority for EU and national authorities, say lawyers at Dechert.
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The Dangers Of Providing Misleading Info In A Merger Review
Although Kingspan's recent proposed acquisition of Trimo, brought before the European Commission, was abandoned following investigation for an alleged breach of EU Merger Regulation requirements, it has brought to light the importance of submitting accurate and complete information in merger reviews to avoid incurring a substantial fine, say lawyers at Steptoe.
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Cum-Ex Prosecutions Storm Shows No Sign Of Abating
The ongoing trial of Sanjay Shah in Denmark is a clear indicator that efforts remain focused on holding to account the alleged architects and beneficiaries of cum-ex trading, and with these prosecutions making their way across Europe, it is a more turbulent time now than ever, says Niall Hearty at Rahman Ravelli.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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EU Inquiry Offers First Insight Into Foreign Subsidy Law
The European Commission's first in-depth investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation into a public procurement process, and subsequent brief on regulatory trends, sheds light on the commission's approach to such cases, as well as jurisdictional, procedural and substantive issues under the regulation, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
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Key Points From EC Economic Security Screening Initiatives
Lawyers at Herbert Smith analyze the European Commission's five recently announced initiatives aimed at de-risking the EU's trade and investment links with third countries, including the implementation of mandatory screening mechanisms and extending coverage to investments made by EU companies that are controlled subsidiaries of non-EU investors.
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Vodafone Decision Highlights Wide Scope Of UK's FDI Rules
The U.K. government’s recently imposed conditions required for its approval of Vodafone and Etisalat’s strategic relationship agreement under its National Security and Investment Act jurisdiction, illustrating the significance of the act as an important factor for transactions with a U.K. link, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
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What Extension Of French FDI Control Means For Investors
The recently published French order on foreign investment control expands the regime's application to more sectors and at a lower threshold of share ownership, illustrating France's determination to maintain sovereignty over its supply chains in sensitive sectors, and adding new considerations for potential investors in these areas, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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What To Expect For Private Capital Investment Funds In 2024
As 2024 gets underway, market sentiment in the private fundraising sphere seems more optimistic, with a greater focus on deal sourcing and operational optimizations, and an increased emphasis on impact and sustainability strategies, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
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Cayman Islands Off AML Risk Lists, Signaling Robust Controls
As a world-leading jurisdiction for securitization special purpose entities, the removal of the Cayman Islands from increased anti-money laundering monitoring lists is a significant milestone that will benefit new and existing financial services customers conducting business in the territory, say lawyers at Walkers Global.
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Acquisition Of AI Tech Poses Challenges For Media Industry
The artificial intelligence regulatory landscape is changing quickly, and media and entertainment companies planning to acquire AI technology through a merger, acquisition or licensing deal should be mindful of potential new compliance requirements and AI-specific insurance products, say lawyers at Covington.