Corporate deals

Apac PE executives are the least fazed by geopolitical uncertainty in dealmaking: report

Only 30% view it as a top threat, compared with 60% in Emea and 49% globally

FCC chair Brendan Carr in February said that he was opening a probe of Verizon for its promotion of DEI programmes and added it could be a factor in the Frontier deal.

Verizon deal to acquire Frontier approved after DEI changes

[WASHINGTON] The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday (May 16) approved Verizon Communications’s US$20 billion deal to acquire fibre-optic Internet providers Frontier Communications af...

Shell is evaluating a potential acquisition of BP, but is taking a cautious wait-and-see strategy.

Where are Shell’s animal spirits for a BP deal? 

There aren’t always first-mover advantages in the merger market

A Chase Bank outlet in New York City. Bob Diamond, the former CEO of Barclays, says over the next few years, dealmaking will shrink the roughly 4,500 banks in the US down to just 1,000 to 2,000 lenders.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Mega deals won’t lead M&A rebound under Trump

US BANKERS are rubbing their hands at an expected boom in dealmaking under a market-friendly president-elect Donald Trump next year. But scratch the surface, and it is apparent that the mergers and ac...

Southwest Airlines has, for now, struck a truce with Elliot Investment Management, heading off a potentially disruptive clash between the carrier and the hedge fund.
THINKING ALOUD

When podcasts become proxy battlefields, time to hit ‘mute’

The boardroom beige creep into podcasts is well underway

The timing of the rate cuts by South-east Asian central banks will differ, but the general global trend will be towards lower rates.
COMMENTARY

Sweet spot for deals: M&As in South-east Asia poised for a rebound

Aside from lower rates, the segment will benefit from investment inflows as firms expand across the region

EY notes that investors prefer established insurtech companies with a proven track record amid a general flight to safety.

South-east Asia insurtech deals jump over 4 times to US$2.35 billion in 2023 despite fewer transactions: EY

The majority of deal value in 2023 has been driven by Japanese insurer Sumitomo Life’s acquisition of Singapore Life (Singlife), and Singapore-based insurtech company Bolttech’s series B round

The valuation accorded to F&N under the deal is 232% above its last closing price, while the valuation accorded to FPL is 136% above its last closing price.
MARK TO MARKET

Should ThaiBev’s minority shareholders support the proposed FPL-F&N share swap?

FPL and F&N are plainly undervalued, but ascribing a precise fair value to a company can be tricky

M&A deals are seeing a decline in Asia-Pacific in Q1, dragged by a slowdown in dealmaking activity in mainland China.

Apac finance M&A to stay subdued after Q1 decline as uncertainties linger: S&P Global

Deals are likely to remain muted in mainland China while Australia could see a turnaround

ComfortDelGro says that A2B’s 8,000 vehicle network will join ComfortDelGro’s current 21,300 global taxi fleet upon the deal completion.

Australian taxi operator A2B shareholders vote in favour of ComfortDelGro acquisition

SHAREHOLDERS of Australian taxi network operator A2B voted in favour of ComfortDelGro’s acquisition on Monday (Mar 25), with 97.7 per cent of votes cast for the proposed deal.