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Transactions UK
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August 01, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Skadden, Wachtell, Latham
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. announce megamerger plans, Palo Alto Networks acquires identity security company CyberArk, Brookfield buys British life insurer Just Group, and Duke Energy sells its Piedmont Natural Gas Tennessee local distribution business to Spire Inc.
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August 01, 2025
Ex-AllSaints Chair In Contempt Over Share Sale Fraud Claims
A London court ruled Friday that the former chairman of AllSaints was in contempt of court for breaching an order to stop claiming an interest in shares in the high street fashion chain after his fraud allegations were rejected.
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August 01, 2025
Clifford Chance Advises PE Firm Cinven On Tech Biz Buy
Private equity firm Cinven said on Friday it has agreed to acquire software supplier Smart Communications, with counsel from Clifford Chance.
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August 01, 2025
Spectris Backs Advent's Improved £4.2B Offer In Snub To KKR
High-tech instruments manufacturer Spectris said Friday that it is throwing its support behind a sweetened £4.2 billion ($5.6 billion) cash offer from U.S. private equity shop Advent, which has turned its head away from a £4.1 billion courtship from KKR.
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August 01, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen several telco giants hit with a trademark claim, a collapsed hotel company sue a property investor in an ongoing dispute over a decades-old hotel sale, and two litigation funders square off against each other.
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August 01, 2025
Allianz, BlackRock Close €3.5B Buy Of Insurer Viridium
A consortium that includes German insurer Allianz and BlackRock Inc. said Friday that it has completed the acquisition of European life insurance consolidator Viridium Group from private equity firm Cinven Group Ltd. for €3.5 billion ($4 billion).
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August 01, 2025
GoCompare Parent To Return £55M To Shareholders
British publisher Future PLC said Friday that it will return up to £55 million ($73 million) to shareholders in its fourth buyback program to reduce the number of its shares in the market.
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August 01, 2025
Fladgate-Led Beauty Adviser To Exit LSE, Move To Aquis
U.K. beauty advice company Cel AI said Friday it plans to cancel its listing on the London Stock Exchange and move to rival exchange Aquis, to facilitate growing its bitcoin reserves.
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August 01, 2025
Jones Day Steers French Software Biz On €24M Equity Raise
French medical software business Median Technologies said Friday it has raised €23.9 million ($27.6 million) through selling new shares to investors in order to fund its product lines.
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August 01, 2025
Hill Dickinson Guides Linen Supplier's Move To Main Market
Hotel linen rentals firm Johnson Service Group PLC said Friday its shares have been admitted to trade on the main market of the London Stock Exchange, switching from the platform's junior alternative investment market.
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August 01, 2025
Ogilvy & Wachtel-Led Investors Oppose Hedge Fund Merger
A group of investors in Third Point told fellow shareholders in the hedge fund on Friday that the proposed merger with Malibu Life Reinsurance will establish "a dangerous precedent for the U.K. stock market" of not safeguarding interests of the minority.
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August 01, 2025
FCA Hits Brokerage With £1M Fine For Deal Report Failures
The City watchdog said Friday that it has hit a global brokerage with a fine of more than £1 million ($1.3 million) for the "particularly serious" failure to submit complete and accurate transaction reports over a five-year period.
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August 01, 2025
AXA To Buy 51% Stake In Italian Insurer Prima For €500M
AXA SA said Friday that it will take a majority holding in Italy's Prima for €500 million ($570 million), with the option to buy out the remainder of the insurance technology company.
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July 31, 2025
White House Unveils New Tariffs On Dozens Of Countries
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a slew of new tariffs on nearly 70 countries that range from roughly 10% to 40%, unveiling the tariffs a day before his pause on worldwide "reciprocal" tariffs was set to expire Friday.
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July 31, 2025
Asset Manager Denies Breaching NDA For €118M Deals
A London-based investment manager has sued two companies of the Italian asset manager giant Azimut for millions over deals related to an investment in a machinery manufacturer, but Azimut has denied breaching the deal saying it had been released from its obligations.
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July 31, 2025
Hammerson Raises Equity To Fund £319M Bullring Purchase
Urban real estate developer Hammerson said Thursday it is selling its shares, guided by Slaughter and May, Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and others, to acquire from CPP Investments the remaining 50% interest in a "super prime" retail destination in Birmingham for £319 million ($421.4 million).
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July 31, 2025
Ashurst-Led Rockhopper In $140M Falkland Oil Project Raise
U.K.-based oil and gas producer Rockhopper Exploration PLC said Thursday that investors have pledged to acquire new shares as part of a $140 million equity-raising drive to develop a new project in the Falklands.
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July 31, 2025
Lion Finance Eyes Purchase Of HSBC Unit's Malta Operation
Lion Finance Group PLC, the owner of banks in Caucasia, expressed an interest on Thursday in buying the Malta operations of an HSBC subsidiary.
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July 31, 2025
Baker McKenzie Helps JD.com Buy Ceconomy For €2.2B
Chinese e-commerce heavyweight JD.com has said it will take Ceconomy AG private in a cash deal for approximately €2.2 billion ($2.5 billion), which is being backed by the German retail group's board, anchor shareholders and founding family.
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July 31, 2025
Euronext Offers To Buy Athens Stock Exchange For €413M
Euronext NV said Thursday that it has offered to buy the Athens Stock Exchange SA for €412.8 million ($472.1 million) in an all-share transaction, as the bourse looks to expand its presence in southeast Europe.
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July 31, 2025
Squire Patton-Led JTC To Buy Swiss Bank Unit For £20M
JTC PLC said Thursday it plans to acquire a finance services company that caters to ultra-rich clients from Swiss private bank Union Bancaire Privée SA for £20 million ($26.5 million), as the Jersey-based fund administrator seeks to increase its global presence.
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July 31, 2025
Freshfields Steers LSE Operator On £1B Buyback Plan
London Stock Exchange Group PLC said on Thursday said it will launch further share buybacks worth up to £1 billion ($1.3 billion), as the financial markets operator reported strong growth and profits.
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July 31, 2025
A&O Shearman Guides Brookfield On £2.4B Just Group Buy
Investment giant Brookfield said Thursday that it plans to buy Just Group, a British life insurer, for £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) in a deal steered by A&O Shearman and Slaughter and May.
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July 31, 2025
Shell Launches $3.5B Buyback To Cut Share Capital
Shell began a program on Thursday to buy back shares worth up to $3.5 billion as the British multinational reported a drop in earnings.
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July 30, 2025
Sainsbury's Bank Partners With Allianz For Insurance Policies
Insurance giant Allianz UK said Wednesday that it has penned a deal to offer replacement home and motor insurance policies to Sainsbury's Bank customers as their current cover expires.
Expert Analysis
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What New UK Stub Equity Rules Will Mean For PE Bidders
The U.K. Takeover Panel’s recent guide to making stub equity offers, for the first time formally harmonizing the approach to be taken, should be helpful for both private equity bidders and practitioners, and not unduly restrictive, say lawyers at Davis Polk.
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French Plans For Call-In Powers Signal More Merger Scrutiny
The French Competition Authority’s intention to draft a call-in mechanism for below-threshold transactions demonstrates a growing appetite to expand national investigation tools that will require a balance of effective control and legal certainty to reduce the burden on merging companies, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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UK FDI Enforcement Continues, But Changes Are On The Way
With the U.K. government’s recent foreign direct investment investigation into Maple Armor’s increased shareholding in Fireblitz demonstrating the National Security and Investment Act’s wide scope, an announcement this month that certain transactions will no longer require mandatory notification represents a welcome simplification, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
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What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling
The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.
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Weighing PE Transaction Risks As EU AI Act Rolls Out
As the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act becomes effective in stages, legal practitioners involved in private equity deals should consider the transactional risks resulting from this measure, including penalties, extraterritorial reach and target-firm applicability, say lawyers at Covington.
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UK-EU Competition Agreement Signals Rebuilding Of Ties
The European Commission’s recent adoption of proposals to sign the European Union-U.K. competition agreement is a welcome first step toward better policy and enforcement convergence, providing a clearer legal framework for businesses to manage regulatory risk, says Charles Whiddington at Steptoe.
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Takeaways From EU's Review Of Merger Control Guidelines
The European Commission’s newly launched consultation on the European Union’s merger guidelines will explore whether and how merger control should consider key policy objectives, such as innovation, investment incentives and security, say lawyers at Latham.
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Identifying Data Center Investment Challenges, Opportunities
The role of data centers is expanding, as are new opportunities for private capital investors, but there are issues to consider, including finance models and contract complexity, as well as power supply, cyber threat resilience and data sovereignty, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
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Anticipating A Shift In CMA Merger Control Enforcement
As the Competition and Markets Authority outlines plans to put the U.K. government's growth objectives into action, the changes may well pave the way for a more permissive outlook for review of mergers and acquisitions in the U.K., say lawyers at A&O Shearman.
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Saxon Woods Ruling Tightens Rules On Director Good Faith
The recent Court of Appeal judgment in Saxon Woods v. Costa departs from the High Court's ruling, clarifying that a director's sincere belief they have acted in the company’s best interests is not sufficient to satisfy the statutory requirement to act in good faith, say lawyers at Covington.
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Key Takeaways As EU And UK Impose New Russia Sanctions
The European Union and U.K.’s new sanctions on Russia, designating increasing numbers of non-Russian companies in the defense and shipping sectors, mean that organizations must examine from the outset whether a transaction has any nexus with the EU or the U.K., say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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What New FCA Private Stock Market System Could Offer Cos.
While the Financial Conduct Authority’s new secondary private stock market system will bring more control and less ongoing regulatory compliance than a public market, but because the regime grants a significant degree of flexibility to operators it may be some time before a full operational picture emerges, says Iain Wright at Morgan Lewis.
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EU Telecom Merger Ruling Unveils Foreign Subsidies Analysis
The European Commission’s recent publication of its decision approving e&’s acquisition of certain portions of PPF Telecom Group reveals its approach toward and procedural expectations for the European Union’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation, offering valuable guidance on how the commission will conduct future investigations, say lawyers at Goodwin.
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What EU 'Killer Acquisition' Study Means For Pharma Deals
The European Commission’s recent study of pharmaceutical companies' acquisitions of emerging competitive threats, the first of its kind globally, has important implications for the industry, and may lead to increased awareness of merger control risks in collaborative agreements, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.
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Tools For Effective Asset Tracking In Offshore Jurisdictions
In light of a technology company's recent allegations that its former CEO maintained an undisclosed interest in offshore companies, practitioners may want to refresh their knowledge of the tool kit available for tracing and recovering allegedly misappropriated assets from both onshore and offshore jurisdictions, say lawyers at Walkers Global.