UK chip maker takeover by Chinese firm halted on ‘national security grounds’ September 7, 2021 The merger between UK-based chip maker Perpetuus Group China’s Taurus International has been halted by the business secretary on “national security grounds”. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng on Sunday issued a public interest intervention notice to intervene in the proposed acquisition. The Competition and Markets Authority is now set to form a report into the transaction [...]
Competition watchdog blasts PCR test firms over consumer law breaches August 25, 2021 The UK competition watchdog has warned of a potential crackdown on PCR Covid test providers amid concerns they may be breaking consumer law. In an open letter the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concerns about a number of harmful practices in the sector. These included advertising up-front prices for PCR tests that do not [...]
Handle with care: Big Tech mergers are not as evil as our watchdogs might believe December 7, 2021 Watchdogs and oversight bodies around the world, including the US Federal Trade Commission, have tried to break up Big Tech, but the UK may be the first to succeed — at the cost of entrepreneurship and innovation. Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority ordered Facebook’s parent company, Meta, to sell Giphy over antitrust concerns. [...]
Former competition chief urges government to speed up CMA overhaul July 2, 2021 The former chairman of the UK’s competition watchdog has called on the government to speed up an overhaul of the organisation. Lord Andrew Tyrie, who chaired the Competition and Markets Authority from 2018 to 2020, warned that the organisation’s effectiveness will be eroded unless it is urgently reformed, in a report published today. Speaking to [...]
CMA hits firms with £100m in fines for making drugs unaffordable for the NHS July 29, 2021 Drug company Advanz, as well as two private equity firms, have been hit with fines of over £100m by the UK’s competition watchdog for hiking vital drug prices. The investigation found that Advanz pushed up prices for thyroid tablet packs, known as liothyronine tablets, more than tenfold. A pack would have cost just £20 in [...]
UK’s Blue Prism sees shares surge 39 per cent amid takeover discussions September 1, 2021 Blue Prism has been lured into takeover discussions with two US private equity firms sending its share price soaring. Yesterday shares jumped by as much as 38.6 per cent, from lows of GBX837.0 to highs of GBX1,160.0, after the company announced it is in talks with TPG Capital and Vista Equity Partners about possible offers. [...]
UK’s Blue Prism sees shares surge 39 per cent amid takeover discussions : CityAM September 1, 2021 Blue Prism has been lured into takeover discussions with two US private equity firms sending its share price soaring. Yesterday shares jumped by as much as 38.6 per cent, from lows of GBX837.0 to highs of GBX1,160.0, after the company announced it is in talks with TPG Capital and Vista Equity Partners about possible offers. [...]
UK credit score giant Clearscore heading for unicorn status after $200m Invus injection June 24, 2021 Clearscore, a free-to-use credit check company based in London, has reportedly accepted a $200m (£144m) investment from US-based fund Invus Opportunities. As reported by Sky News, the deal values the company at $700m (£503m), placing it on track for unicorn valuation. The company plans to use the funding to grow its staff numbers, product offerings [...]
CMA green light: £28bn AstraZeneca and Alexion deal to close late July July 14, 2021 The UK competition watchdog has cleared vaccine maker AstraZeneca’s £28bn bid for rival Alexion, which has been confirmed to close on 21 July. First announced in December last year, the deal is intended to bolster AstraZeneca’s immunology capabilities by adding Alexion’s technology platforms. European Union regulators gave the deal the green light last week. Despite [...]
Watchdog opens investigation into emergency services radio network October 25, 2021 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announces they will be investigating the Motorola Airwave network, the infrastructure and service provider that enables the police, fire and emergency services to communicate securely with each other. The decision to launch a market investigation follows a consultation, opened in July 2021, which set out concerns about the impact [...]