Transactions UK

  • March 17, 2025

    4 Firms Guide Up To $1.14B Sale Of PE-Backed Biotech

    Taiho Pharmaceuticals on Monday announced plans to acquire private equity-backed Swiss biotechnology company Araris Biotech for up to $1.14 billion in a deal built by four law firms.

  • March 17, 2025

    French Firm Nexans To Sell Industrial Cables Biz For €525M

    Paris-based Nexans SA said on Monday that it has agreed to offload its industrial cables subsidiary to a local private equity fund, Latour Capital, for €525 million ($573 million) so that it can focus on energy transition.

  • March 17, 2025

    UK To Launch Measures To Speed Up Firms' Approval Process

    The U.K. government will introduce measures for the Financial Conduct Authority to speed up support for early-stage businesses as part of a broader set of reforms to reduce regulatory impediments to economic growth.

  • March 17, 2025

    Ashurst-Led Investor To Buy UK Green Fund For £191M

    British investment manager Foresight said on Monday that funds it manages have agreed to acquire Harmony Energy Income Trust PLC, a battery storage fund, for £190.8 million ($247.5 million) in a move to add a "highly complimentary" company to its portfolio.

  • March 17, 2025

    Clifford Chance-Led PE Firm To Sell Subsea Cable In €1B Deal

    Swiss-based global private equity firm Partners Group said Monday that it has agreed to sell Greenlink Interconnector to Baltic Cable AB and London-based infrastructure investor Equitix in a deal that values the subsea electricity interconnector at €1 billion ($1.09 billion).

  • March 17, 2025

    MHA, Quantum Base Plan AIM Flotations In Boost To London

    Professional services firm MHA and authentication specialist Quantum Base said separately on Monday that they plan to float on the alternative investment market in a rare double boost to London's struggling capital markets.

  • March 17, 2025

    Covington-Led AstraZeneca To Buy Belgian Biz For Up To $1B

    British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC said Monday that it has agreed to buy cancer immunotherapy business EsoBiotec in a deal worth up to $1 billion in cash to develop its capabilities in cell therapy.

  • March 14, 2025

    Market Turbulence Threatens To Stall IPO Recovery

    Stock market volatility is impeding a recovery in initial public offerings that market dealmakers hoped would begin by spring, prompting many IPO lawyers and advisers to defer hopes of a rebound until at least the second half of 2025.

  • March 14, 2025

    UK Ready Meals Maker Sends Back £1.1B Bid From Irish Rival

    British ready-to-eat meals maker Bakkavor Group PLC said Friday that it has snubbed an "unsolicited" cash and stock takeover bid worth approximately £1.14 billion ($1.5 billion) from Irish rival Greencore Group PLC.

  • March 14, 2025

    Weil-Led European PE Shop Wraps €430M Fund

    Pan-European private equity shop bd-capital, led by Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, on Friday announced that it clinched its second fund above target after securing €430 million ($467.6 million) from investors.

  • March 14, 2025

    3 Firms Rep On $8.5B Crown Castle Fiber Assets Sale

    Paul Weiss-advised Crown Castle Inc. has agreed to sell its fiber segment for $8.5 billion in a push to transform the company into a pure-play U.S. tower business, in two deals guided on the buy-side by Kirkland and Simpson Thacher.

  • March 14, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Davis Polk, Paul Weiss

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Mallinckrodt PLC and Endo Inc. combine, Rocket Cos. buys Redfin, and Endo divests its international pharmaceuticals business to Knight Therapeutics Inc.

  • March 14, 2025

    Willkie-Led PE Firm To Buy Stake In UK Insurance Broker

    Private equity firm IK Partners has agreed to acquire a minority stake in broker and risk management company Seventeen as it seeks to tap into the U.K. insurance market.

  • March 14, 2025

    Insurer Ardonagh Buys UK Broker Anderson & Co.

    Global insurance broker Ardonagh's SME platform has bought U.K. boutique Anderson & Co. (Holdings) Ltd. and its subsidiary to help bolster its presence in the North of England.

  • March 14, 2025

    Life Sciences Property Investor To Put Itself Up For Sale

    Life Science REIT PLC on Friday announced a review into its future, which will consider putting itself up for sale or winding down, amid concerns about market headwinds and its underperforming share price.

  • March 14, 2025

    Science Co. Swipes At Rival Board As It Ups Stake By £21.7M

    International science and technology consultancy Science Group said Friday that it has increased its stake in Ricardo PLC to over 15% for approximately £21.7 million ($28 million), as it criticized the British rival's leadership for a historical fall in share prices.

  • March 14, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen J.P. Morgan face action by the founder of Viva Wallet in an ongoing feud over the company's takeover, retailer Next Group contest a claim by the home ware brand owned by private members' club Soho House, and the venue of the Wimbledon Championships sue a local group opposed to its plans to build new tennis courts on protected land in Wimbledon Park.

  • March 14, 2025

    Greek Firms Steer Bank's €600M Insurer Stake Buy From CVC

    Piraeus Financial Holdings SA has signed a deal for its subsidiary to acquire 90% of Ethniki, a Greek insurer, from a fund controlled by CVC Capital Partners for €600 million ($654 million) in a move by the bank to diversify its business.

  • March 14, 2025

    ECB Greenlights UniCredit To Take 29.9% In Commerzbank

    Italian bank UniCredit said Friday that the European Central Bank has given it regulatory permission to buy just under 30% of Commerzbank, a German rival.

  • March 13, 2025

    6 Firms Steer $6.7B Mallinckrodt, Endo Pharma Merger

    Six law firms are guiding a $6.7 billion merger between Ireland's Mallinckrodt PLC and Pennsylvania-based Endo Inc. on a deal announced Thursday that the companies said will create a global pharmaceutical industry leader with projected 2025 revenues of $3.6 billion.

  • March 13, 2025

    Deliveroo To Return £100M To Investors After Reaching Profit

    Food courier Deliveroo PLC on Thursday said it will reward investors by buying back up to £100 million ($130 million) of shares, after it climbed to a profit in 2024.

  • March 13, 2025

    UK Data Biz Restore Buys Doc Manager Synertec For £22M

    Restore PLC said Thursday it has bought U.K. document management business Synertec (Holdings) Ltd. for an initial £22 million ($28.5 million) in cash, as the data manager moves to diversify its business.

  • March 13, 2025

    Euronext To Buy Norwegian Software Maker For $436M

    Euronext said Thursday that it has agreed to acquire governance software maker Admincontrol for 4.65 billion Norwegian kroner ($436 million) from a company backed by British private equity firm Hg Capital as it seeks to increase its subscription-based revenues.

  • March 13, 2025

    Model Trains Maker Hornby Eyes Quitting LSE

    Hornby PLC, a manufacturer of model train and locomotive sets, unveiled plans on Thursday to stop trading its stock on the London Stock Exchange and go private, saying that doing so will allow it to quicken its decision-making and cut costs.

  • March 13, 2025

    UK Clears Keysight's £1.2B Offer For Telecoms Biz Spirent

    Britain's antitrust authority said Thursday it has allowed U.S. technology company Keysight Technologies Inc. to proceed with its planned £1.16 billion ($1.5 billion) acquisition of Spirent Communications PLC, a U.K. telecoms testing specialist.

Expert Analysis

  • UK Refusal Of US Extradition Request May Set New Standard

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    The recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling in El-Khouri v. U.S., denying a U.S. extradition request, overturns a long-held precedent and narrows how U.K. courts must decide such requests, potentially signaling a broader reevaluation of U.K. extradition law, say lawyers at Dechert and Kingsley Napley.

  • Key Findings From EU Report On Antitrust Remedies

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    Although the European Commission’s recent report assessing the effectiveness of its antitrust policy on behavioral remedies is not binding, it may influence future cases and promote coherence, providing useful insights for national competition authorities and courts when considering remedies in their own jurisdictions, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

  • New UK Order Offers Welcome Clarity To Crypto Staking Rules

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    The recently effective Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Amendment Order clarifies that arrangements for qualifying crypto-asset staking do not amount to a collective investment scheme, and by addressing an issue that curtailed staking activities in the U.K., facilitates the use of that practice, says Andrew Henderson at Goodwin.

  • How EU Competition Policy Will Affect State Aid Rules

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    The European Commission’s recent competitiveness compass policy indicates its ambitions for the European Union to become an economic powerhouse, leveraging a new coordination tool that would affect state aid rules and boost public support for green energy investments, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • Banker Remuneration Proposals Could Affect More Than Pay

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    The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority’s pending proposals to reduce banker remuneration restrictions bring obvious personal financial advantages for bankers, but may have repercussions that result in increased scrutiny of bonus payments and wider changes to workplace culture and overall accountability, say lawyers at Fox Williams.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • EU Paper Urges Data Protection And Competition Law Unity

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    A recent European Data Protection Board position paper calls for closer cooperation among data protection and competition authorities, and provides valuable insight for businesses seeking to ensure compliance across an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Equal Rights Limit State Immunity

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    The Court of Appeal of England and Wales' recent determination that Spain’s London embassy could not dodge a former U.K.-based employee’s discrimination claims by invoking sovereign immunity reaffirms its position that employment and human rights should come before the privileges of foreign powers, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray’s Inn.

  • How Proposed Private Share Trading System May Benefit Cos.

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    The government's proposal for a private securities and capital exchange system intends to enhance market practices and risk tolerances, offering a significant way for firms to free up liquidity by allowing investors to trade existing private company shares, say lawyers at Mishcon de Reya.

  • Managing Transatlantic Antitrust Investigations And Litigation

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    As transatlantic competition regulators cooperate more closely and European antitrust investigations increasingly spark follow-up civil suits in the U.S., companies must understand how to simultaneously juggle high-stakes multigovernment investigations and manage the risks of expensive new claims across jurisdictions, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

  • What To Know As EU Urges Outbound Investment Reviews

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    A recent European Commission recommendation urges European Union member states to review outbound investments in certain critical technologies sectors, but does not clarify the next steps for states once information on relevant transactions in third countries is received, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • Competition Act Brings Important UK Merger Control Changes

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    Although recently effective sections of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act provide clarity on the transactions that may attract Competition and Markets Authority attention, some reforms potentially expanding the regulator's scope may be concerning to transacting parties, say lawyers at Fried Frank.

  • How GCs Can Protect Cos. From Geopolitical Headwinds

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    Geopolitical uncertainty is perceived by corporate leaders as the biggest short-term threat to global business, but many of the potential crises are navigable if general counsel focus on what is being said about a company and what the company is doing, says Juliet Young at Schillings.

  • Key Points From FCA Financial Crime Guide Updates

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent updates to its financial crime guide reflect the regulator’s learnings on sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, highlighting and clarifying consumer duty, anti-money laundering and other compliance expectations, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • Tax Directive Marks Milestone In Harmonizing EU System

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    The Council of the European Union’s recently adopted tax directive is a significant step toward streamlining and modernizing procedures for member states, and will greatly reduce administrative burden and compliance costs for cross-border investors, says Martin Phelan at Simmons & Simmons.

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