Transactions UK

  • May 01, 2025

    Shareholders Claim Biogen Skipped $50M Drug Payment

    Former shareholders of a U.K.-based drug company accused Biogen of failing to make a $50 million payment under a deal to acquire the company and its nerve pain medication, on the first day of trial on Thursday.

  • May 01, 2025

    Tobacco Giant Imperial Rolls Out 2nd Part Of £1.25B Buyback

    Imperial Brands PLC kicked off the second part of its £1.25 billion ($1.4 billion) share buyback program on Thursday as the Rizla cigarette paper maker began to repurchase stock worth up to £625 million aimed at downsizing capital and rewarding investors.

  • May 01, 2025

    Sony Eyes $49B Semiconductor Unit Sale, Plus More Rumors

    Sony could sell its semiconductor unit for $49 billion, while proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis is considering ending its practice of advising shareholder votes on politically charged topics, and AI startup Nscale plans to raise $2.7 billion in private capital to support the construction of data centers around the world.

  • May 01, 2025

    Hospitality Company Whitbread To Buy Back £250M In Shares

    Whitbread PLC said Thursday it will return up to £250 million ($333.5 million) to its shareholders via a share buyback as the Premier Inn hotel chain owner reported a profit dip, citing a "softer market" in the U.K.

  • May 01, 2025

    Renewables Biz To Sell Hydropower Asset Stake For €16.5M

    Investment company Aquila European Renewables PLC said Thursday that it has agreed to sell its minority interest in Portuguese hydropower project Sagres for approximately €16.5 million ($18.7 million) as the company winds down its operations.

  • May 01, 2025

    Food Group Kerry To Serve Up A Further €300M Buyback

    Kerry Group PLC said on Thursday that it intends to launch another share buyback program worth up to €300 million ($340 million), as the Irish food ingredients company reported a 6.3% rise in first-quarter revenue.

  • May 01, 2025

    Mining Biz Expands in Africa with $150M Ivory Coast Buy

    Resolute Mining Ltd. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire two promising gold production sites in Ivory Coast, for which it will pay $150 million and carry out an asset swap, a move to boost the Australia-based metal miner's presence in West Africa.

  • May 01, 2025

    Tech Group Urges Rival To Ditch Chairman As Shares Slump

    Science Group PLC ramped up its activism against the board of rival technology consultancy Ricardo PLC on Thursday by calling for a vote of no-confidence against its chair, Mark Clare.

  • April 30, 2025

    Morgan Lewis Expands Tax Practice With Milbank Hire

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP added a former Milbank special counsel as a tax partner based in the firm's London office.

  • April 30, 2025

    UBS To Buy Back Further $2.5B Worth Of Shares In 2025

    UBS Group AG said on Wednesday it will reward investors by repurchasing up to $2.5 billion in shares this year, despite a drop in net profit and an "unpredictable" economy.

  • April 30, 2025

    Lender Says Company Owner Gifted Biz To Son To Evade Debt

    A finance provider has sued a businessman for allegedly gifting a company to his son the day after the lender had demanded payment of more than £4.7 million ($6.3 million) under a loan guarantee.

  • April 30, 2025

    Media Production Equipment Firm Completes £8M Fundraising

    Videndum PLC said Wednesday that it has successfully raised approximately £8 million ($10.6 million) through selling shares as the provider of video transmission systems and camera supports reported a drop in revenue.

  • April 30, 2025

    Novartis Buying Regulus In Up To $1.7B Kidney Drug Deal

    Novartis AG said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Latham & Watkins LLP-advised Regulus Therapeutics Inc. for up to $1.7 billion in a deal that strengthens the Swiss pharmaceutical giant's kidney disease portfolio with a promising RNA-based therapy.

  • April 30, 2025

    Tycoon's £3.6B Royal Mail Takeover Wins Stamp Of Approval

    Shareholders in the Royal Mail's parent company have given the green light to the proposed £3.6 billion ($4.8 billion) takeover by a conglomerate controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský, the companies said late Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2025

    Inspired PLC Investors Line Up To Rebuff £109M Regent Offer

    Energy and sustainability adviser Inspired PLC said Wednesday that its shareholders are rallying against a £109 million ($146 million) takeover bid from gas and metering services business Regent International Holdings Ltd.

  • April 30, 2025

    HSF Leads Weir In £624M Acquisition Of Mine Tech Biz

    Weir Group said Wednesday it has finalized its acquisition of Mining Software Holdings Pty Ltd., known as Micromine, for an enterprise value of £624 million ($834 million) to improve the performance of its digital technology, in a deal led by Herbert Smith Freehills.

  • April 30, 2025

    Portuguese Energy Biz Floats In London After SPAC Deal

    Technologies New Energy SA said Wednesday that it has started to trade on the London stock market after the Portuguese clean energy company completed a £28 million ($37 million) takeover by blank-check business Codex Acquisitions.

  • April 29, 2025

    Stonepeak Buying Stake In Spain's Repsol For $340M

    Vinson & Elkins LLP-advised Stonepeak has agreed to purchase a 46.3% stake in Latham & Watkins LLP-advised Repsol's 777-megawatt solar and storage portfolio in the U.S. for $340 million, according to a Tuesday announcement.

  • April 29, 2025

    US Biotech Firm To Quit London Listing After IP Deal

    Biotechnology company LungLife said Tuesday that it has convened a shareholder meeting to approve plans to delist from the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange after it reached a deal to sell its intellectual property assets.

  • April 29, 2025

    Burness Paull Guides £7.5M Pension Deal For Fuel Biz

    Aviva PLC has bought out £7.5 million ($10 million) of the pension arrangement liabilities of Gleaner Ltd., advisers said Tuesday, in a deal steered by law firm Burness Paull LLP.

  • April 29, 2025

    BP Announces $750M Share Buyback Despite Profit Fall

    BP PLC said Tuesday it will launch a share repurchase program worth up to $750 million, as the energy giant prepares to return excess cash to its shareholders, despite weaker gas trading and refining affecting profit.

  • April 29, 2025

    Ex-Russells Partner Denies Role In Alleged Share Sale Plot

    Russells Solicitors and a former partner have denied being part of an alleged plot to hide plans for a $40 million takeover of a celebrity intellectual property licensing company to get a former director to sell his shares cheaply.

  • April 29, 2025

    HSBC Banks On $3B Buyback After Strong Figures

    HSBC Holdings PLC said Tuesday that it will buy back $3 billion of its shares after the British banking giant reported strong results for the first quarter 2025.

  • April 29, 2025

    Travel Group Jet2 Gets £250M Share Buyback Off The Ground

    Jet2 PLC began a share repurchase program worth up to £125 million ($168 million) on Tuesday, the first part of the leisure group's wider £250 million buyback plan aimed at lowering its outstanding share capital.

  • April 29, 2025

    Bakkavor Completes China Exit, Eyes Greencore Acquisition

    Supermarket supplier Bakkavor Group PLC said Tuesday that it will quit the Chinese market after it agreed to sell its remaining company in the country for 500 million Chinese yuan ($69 million), as it weighs a takeover by rival Greencore.

Expert Analysis

  • FCA Bulletin Highlights Risks Of Leaking Inside M&A Info

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent bulletin on the consequences of leaking sensitive information during transactions, warning that such disclosure may result in market abuse allegations, demonstrates the regulator’s determination to root out and penalize insider dealing, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • How CMA Is Responding To UK Gov't Pro-Growth Agenda

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    With the U.K. government’s recent call for the Competition and Markets Authority and other regulators to better support economic growth, the competition policy landscape is shifting materially toward an emphasis on a more proportionate and targeted approach to merger enforcement, say lawyers at Macfarlanes.

  • What Latest VC Model Document Revisions Offer UK Investors

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    Recent updates to the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association model documents, reflecting prevailing U.K. market practice on early-stage equity financing terms and increasing focus on compliance issues, provide needed protection for investors in relation to the growth in global foreign direct investment regimes, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • What Cos. Must Note From FCA Bulletin On Leaking M&A Info

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent bulletin on strategic leaks in merger and acquisition transactions, as the second such publication in four months, acts as a warning for issuers and their advisers to tighten up their current policies for handling inside information, say lawyers at Herbert Smith.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2025 Spring Antitrust Meeting

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    Leadership changes, shifting priorities and evolving enforcement tools dominated the conversation at the recent American Bar Association Spring Antitrust Meeting, as panelists explored competition policy under a second Trump administration, agency discretion under the 2023 merger guidelines and new frontiers in conduct enforcement, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • What To Know About FCA's UK Listing Rules Proposal

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    A recent consultation paper from the Financial Conduct Authority aims to streamline the securities-listing process for U.K.-regulated markets, including by allowing issuers to submit a single application for all securities of the same class, and aligning the disclosure standards for low-denomination and wholesale bonds, say lawyers at Debevoise.

  • Issues To Watch At ABA's Antitrust Spring Meeting

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    Attorneys at Freshfields consider the future of antitrust law and competition enforcement amid agency leadership changes and other emerging developments likely to dominate discussion at the American Bar Association's Antitrust Spring Meeting this week.

  • What To Note In EU Tech Transfer Agreements Consultation

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    Robert Klotz at Steptoe explains the European Commission’s main contemplated amendments to a regulation that exempts certain technology transfer agreements from European Union restrictions, the current political context around the ongoing reform, and as its potential consequences for businesses.

  • 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.

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