Transactions UK

  • May 08, 2026

    EU Fund Managers Warn Against Shareholder Rights Overhaul

    A trade body for European fund managers warned lawmakers Friday against large-scale changes to the Shareholders' Rights Directive that would obstruct investors' existing rights.

  • May 08, 2026

    PE-Backed JMG Group Buys Trio Of UK Insurance Brokers

    Insurance business JMG Group said it has acquired three brokers in the English Midlands as part of a regional expansion.

  • May 08, 2026

    PMI, Schroders Launch Pension Governance Investing Survey

    The Pensions Management Institute and Schroders have said they will investigate how governance of investment in defined benefit retirement plans is changing in real time, amid record funding positions for pensions in Britain.

  • May 08, 2026

    Reed Smith Guides Founder's £11M Takeover Of Software Biz

    Property software business Essensys said Friday that a takeover offer of approximately £11.3 million ($15.3 million) from its founder has won the support of more than 90% of its shareholders, making it unconditional.

  • May 08, 2026

    Commerzbank Lifts Outlook As It Fends Off UniCredit Bid

    Commerzbank AG published plans on Friday to boost future profitability as the German lender builds defenses against a takeover bid from Italy's UniCredit SpA, which it described as vague and fraught with "considerable execution risks."

  • May 08, 2026

    Smith & Nephew Begins 1st Part Of $500M Share Buyback

    Smith & Nephew PLC started a share repurchase program of up to $250 million on Friday, the initial phase of the medical technology giant's new $500 million buyback that is intended to reward investors.

  • May 08, 2026

    Barclays Launches £500M Buyback After £1B Program Ends

    Barclays PLC said Friday that it will reward investors with a new share buyback program worth up to £500 million ($680 million) after it completed a £1 billion repurchase plan. 

  • May 08, 2026

    Slaughter And May-Led Intertek Rejects EQT's Higher £9B Bid

    Intertek Group PLC has rejected a third takeover proposal from a subsidiary of Swedish private equity firm EQT AB, saying on Friday that the latest offer continues to undervalue the British laboratory testing company and still carries too much risk.

  • May 07, 2026

    UK Says Welltower's Senior Home Deals May Hurt Competition

    The United Kingdom's antitrust authority has determined that several of Welltower Inc.'s U.K. senior housing acquisitions create "a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition."

  • May 07, 2026

    Iran War Risks £8B Annual Tax Hit To UK, Report Warns

    The Iran war could cost the U.K. government up to £8 billion ($10.9 billion) a year through lost tax revenue and higher debt interest payments, a progressive think tank warned Thursday.

  • May 07, 2026

    Greetings Cards Biz Moonpig Kicks Off £32.5M Share Buyback

    Moonpig Group PLC began a share repurchase program on Thursday to return up to £32.5 million ($44 million), the first part of its planned £65 million buyback as it looks to reward investors and reduce its share capital.

  • May 07, 2026

    Shell Launches $3B Buyback Amid Higher Q1 Profits

    Shell PLC said Thursday that it will return $3 billion to shareholders in its latest share buyback program, as the energy giant announced strong results for the first three months of 2026, with the war in Iran boosting oil prices globally.

  • May 07, 2026

    HSF Kramer-Led Chinese Biz To Buy Lithium Co. For $210M

    Atlantic Lithium said on Thursday that it has agreed to be sold to Chinese battery giant Huayou for approximately $210 million in an all-cash deal amid the global rise in the use of batteries to reduce global warming.

  • May 07, 2026

    Schroders To Reward Investors With Buyback Of Up To £20M

    Schroders Capital Global Innovation Trust PLC said on Thursday that it has launched a share buyback worth up to £20 million ($27 million), minus costs, to reward shareholders as part of its ongoing managed wind-down.

  • May 07, 2026

    UK Bike Insurer Laka Acquires Specialist Rival VeloLife

    Laka Ltd. has acquired the bike insurance business of U.K. specialist VeloLife in its fourth takeover since 2023, as the London-based mobility insurer steps up efforts to consolidate Europe's fragmented micromobility sector.

  • May 07, 2026

    Slaughter And May-Led Centrica Buys £370M Power Plant

    British Gas owner Centrica said Thursday that it has acquired a power station in South Wales for approximately £370 million ($504 million) in a deal guided by Slaughter and May and Freeths LLP.

  • May 07, 2026

    Hogan Lovells Helps Angelini Buy Catalyst Pharma For $4.1B

    Angelini Pharma SpA will buy U.S. rival Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $4.1 billion in cash, the companies said Thursday, a transaction that will give the Italian company access to therapeutics for rare diseases affecting the brain.

  • May 07, 2026

    Insurtech Funding Holds As AI Deals Dominate, Report Says

    Global funding for insurance technology companies remained steady at $1.63 billion in the first three months of this year, Gallagher Re said Thursday, while almost all of that investment went to companies focused on artificial intelligence. 

  • May 07, 2026

    Bank Of Georgia Owner To Extend Buyback By $20.5M

    Lion Finance Group PLC said Thursday that it will soon launch a share buyback program worth up to 55 million Georgian lari ($20.5 million) to lower its share capital.

  • May 07, 2026

    Gowling-Led Aberdeen Deal Ends Herald, Saba 'Impasse'

    Aberdeen Investments said Thursday that it has agreed to a deal with activist investor Saba Capital Management to manage Herald Investment Trust PLC, as part of a compromise to secure the trust's long-term future.

  • May 07, 2026

    Commercial Linen Supplier To Launch Further £55M Buyback

    Linen supplier Johnson Service Group said Thursday that it will begin a share buyback program worth up to £55 million ($75 million) to extend its run of returning cash to investors through repurchases.

  • May 07, 2026

    UniCredit To Take Loss Of Up To €3.3B On Russian Biz Sale

    UniCredit SpA said Thursday that it will take a hit of up to €3.3 billion ($3.9 billion) on its profits to sell part of its Russian subsidiary to an investor in the United Arab Emirates as the Italian lender moves to distance itself from sanctioned clients.

  • May 13, 2026

    Addleshaw Goddard Hires 5 Attys To Build Practice In Poland

    Addleshaw Goddard LLP said Wednesday that it is establishing a new public procurement and construction practice in Poland with a five-lawyer team, as it looks to expand its Polish offerings just a year after opening the Eastern European office. 

  • May 06, 2026

    HF Snaps Up Healthcare Law Firm Hempsons

    National law firm HF said it has acquired healthcare specialist Hempsons in a move the firm said would help it expand into new practice areas.

  • May 06, 2026

    Investment Vehicle IIG Gets Extension For Takeover Talks

    Intuitive Investments Group PLC said Wednesday that it has received the go-ahead from the Takeover Panel to extend the deadline for acquisition company Acceler8 Ventures to make a firm offer worth approximately £600 million ($807 million) or walk away.

Expert Analysis

  • The Rising Tide Of EU Antitrust Enforcement In Pharma

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    The European Commission’s recent record-breaking €463 million fine of Teva for abusing its dominant position confirms that European Union competition law enforcement in the pharmaceutical sector remains a priority, with infringements drawing serious financial exposure, say lawyers at Cooley.

  • Looking Back On 2024's Competition Law Issues For GenAI

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    With inherent uncertainties in generative artificial intelligence raising antitrust issues that attract competition authorities' attention, the 2024 uptick in transaction reviews demonstrates that regulators are vigilant about the possibility that markets may tip in favor of large existing players, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • What The Future Of AI In Financial Services Looks Like

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    Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the global financial services industry, with a hybrid model likely to evolve where AI handles routine tasks and humans focus on strategy and decision-making, so financial institutions should work with regulators to establish ethical standards and meet regulatory expectations without stifling innovation, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • What UK Security Act Report Indicates For Future Gov't Policy

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    Following the recent publication of the National Security and Investment Act report on the scrutiny of proposed investments, it will be interesting to see how the act’s powers fit into a government policy that plans to cut regulatory obstacles, while maintaining a hard line on national security, say lawyers at Katten Muchin.

  • What UK Takeover Code's Narrowed Focus Will Mean For Cos.

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    In narrowing its scope of application, the U.K. Takeover Panel's forthcoming amended code will have practical implications for U.K.-registered companies and ultimately provide greater market clarity and certainty, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • M&A Takeaways From 1st EU Foreign Subsidies Merger Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent decision on the merger between e& and PFF Telecom is the first to approve a transaction subject to commitments under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, serving as a helpful guide by confirming that behavioral measures ring-fencing EU activities from the potential effect of third-country subsidies are acceptable, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • Factors Driving EU Competition Policy For The Next 5 Years

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    Teresa Ribera Rodríguez’s recent nomination as the new European Union commissioner for competition prompts questions about policy and enforcement, with goals to enhance competition in business, implement stronger and faster enforcement, and promote and fund decarbonization likely in her sights during a five-year term, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • Modernizing UK Trade Settlement Standard: The Road Ahead

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    Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP consider the rationale and challenges of a potential U.K. trade settlement acceleration, part of an initiative to modernize the financial market infrastructure, and suggest that incorporating distributed ledger technology as a synchronized recording system would facilitate the move.

  • What EU Antitrust Guidelines Will Mean For Dominant Cos.

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    The European Commission’s recent draft antitrust guidelines will steer courts' enforcement powers, increasing the risk for dominant firms engaging in exclusive dealing without any apparent basis to shift the burden of proof to those companies, say lawyers at Latham.

  • Draft Merger Control Guidance Allows CMA To Cast Wide Net

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    The Competition and Markets Authority's recent draft merger control guidance, reflecting the regulator's strengthened powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act, introduces extensive change and potential procedural improvements, specifically concerning reviews of private equity firms, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • Reflecting On 12 Months Of The EU Foreign Subsidy Regime

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    New European Commission guidance, addressing procedural questions and finally providing clarity on “distortion” in merger control and public procurement, offers an opportunity to reflect on the year since foreign subsidy notification obligations were introduced, say lawyers at Fried Frank.

  • Review Of EU Cross-Border Merger Regs' Impact On Irish Cos.

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    Looking back on the year since the European Union Mobility Directive was transposed into Irish law, enabling Irish and European Economic Area limited liability companies to participate in cross-border deals, it is clear that restructuring options available to Irish companies with EU operations have significantly expanded, say lawyers at Matheson.

  • A Look At UK, EU And US Cartel Enforcement Trends

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    The European Union, U.K. and U.S. competition agencies' recently issued joint statement on competition risks in generative artificial intelligence demonstrates increased cross-border collaboration on cartel investigations, meaning companies facing investigations in one jurisdiction should anticipate related investigations in other jurisdictions, say lawyers at Latham & Watkins.

  • Testing The Limits Of English Courts' Pro-Arbitration Stance

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    Although the Court of Appeal recently upheld a $64 million arbitration award in Eternity Sky v. Zhang, the judgment offers rare insight into when the English courts’ general inclination to enforce arbitral awards may be outweighed by competing policy interests such as consumer rights, say Declan Gallivan and Peter Morton at K&L Gates.

  • EU Merger Control Concerns Remain After ECJ Illumina Ruling

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    The recent European Court of Justice judgment in Illumina-Grail is a welcome check on the commission's power to review low-threshold transactions, but with uncertainty persisting under existing laws and discretion left to national regulators, many pitfalls in European Union merger control remain, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

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