Mergers & Acquisitions

Recent Articles

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  09/04/2025

  International

  Navigating M&A deals through a tariff storm

  The tariffs introduced by the Trump Administration  have shocked global stock markets and are expected to have even greater impact on industrial and trading businesses, and ultimately, consumers. Retaliatory measures introduced by other major economies are likely to exacerbate an already deeply challenging situation.Nevertheless, M&A is a resilient beast. Deal teams, armed through recent COVID experiences, will need to apply the ingenuity and lateral thinking required to close deals in ways, which protect concerned parties against the Tariffs.In this article, we explore:what exactly is...

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  08/04/2025

  Germany

  German court decision restricts expansive in­ter­pret­a­tion of the transaction value threshold in merger control

  In two rulings on 26 February 2025, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court (HRC) limited the Federal Cartel Office's (FCO) expansive interpretation of the transaction value threshold. These decisions, which arose from Adobe's 2018 acquisitions of Magento for USD 1.68 billion and Marketo for USD 4.75 billion, provide important guidance on the notification requirements for high-value acquisitions of targets with limited German revenues.Legal backgroundThe purely turnover-based filing threshold in Germany (Section 35 (1) ARC) only triggers a filing obligation if:the combined worldwide turnover...

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  07/04/2025

  United Kingdom

  Focus on the Future: CMA's Pro-Growth Strategic Priorities for 2025-6

  The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) published its Annual Plan for 2025-6 (the “Annual Plan”) on 27 March 2025.  It details the CMA’s strategic priorities for the year ahead and is published against a backdrop of increased scrutiny of the CMA’s functions and the use of its powers.  The Annual Plan also reflects the CMA’s proposals to act on the Government’s draft Strategic Steer which emphasises the CMA’s important role in enabling growth and investment in the UK economy. This Annual Plan is the last to be published in...

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  02/04/2025

  United Kingdom

  Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023: Launch of the Identity Verification Regime

  The Government’s new identity verification (IDV) regime for directors and controllers of UK companies launches on 8 April 2025. The regime will also apply to members and controllers of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and, more narrowly, to limited partnerships and overseas companies with an establishment in the UK. The IDV regime is part of the package of reforms contained in the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) aimed at tackling economic crime and preventing the abuse of corporate structures by enhancing the transparency of corporations and those that control them.Until...

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  21/03/2025

  United Kingdom

  More changes ahead for the UK media mergers regime

  In its review of the operation of UK media ownership rules in 2021, Ofcom made a number of recommendations to account for shifts in the media landscape - driven by advancing technology and evolving consumer behaviour in news consumption. In response, in November 2024 the Government launched a consultation on potential changes to the existing regime, and in doing so took an important step toward modernisation.In essence, the Government is acting on Ofcom’s recommendation to broaden the scope of the regime under which the Secretary of State can intervene in media mergers on public interest...

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  20/03/2025

  UAE

  Dubai's Game-Changer: New Executive Council Resolution Unlocks Mainland Access for Free Zone Companies

  The newly issued Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025 (the “Resolution”) will enable Dubai free zone entities to expand their business activities to mainland Dubai through the issuance of onshore licenses and activity permits. This is the latest move by the Dubai government to encourage business growth and investment in alignment with Dubai's D33 agenda which aims to double the size of Dubai’s economy and establish Dubai as a global business hub by 2033.What this means for businessesUnder the provisions of the Resolution, entities established in Dubai free zones...

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