Dust off the defence manuals… private equity is coming, say advisors Investing London’s listed firms have been warned to dust off their defence manuals and prepare for takeover bids as private equity investors limber up for a deals offensive on the London Stock Exchange next year. After a subdued year of dealmaking through 2024, private equity buyers are expected to reignite a swoop on the public markets [...]
A turbulent year for London’s markets… in four graphs Markets “There’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” said one London Stock Exchange executive in March, just after two more firms announced they were heading for the exit. “Don’t lose your head amongst all the doom-mongering.” It is a mantra that London’s bourse has had to hold onto over the past 12 months as [...]
Wise shares bounce on ‘milestone’ Morgan Stanley payments deal Fintech Shares in Wise have jumped this afternoon after the London-listed fintech firm announced a “milestone” deal to handle foreign exchange payments for Morgan Stanley’s corporate clients. The money transfer firm said Morgan Stanley will become the first major investment bank to offer “high speed cross border” payments through its platform business, which provides payments infrastructure [...]
FCA sets out plans for new Pisces private stock market December 17, 2024 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has set out its plans for a new private stock market system today as it looks to revive London’s flagging IPO pipeline and allow investors to more easily tap into unlisted companies. In a consultation document, the City watchdog said the new stock market system, PISCES, first tabled by the [...]
Royal Mail hit with £10.5m fine over late deliveries December 13, 2024 Ofcom has hit Royal Mail with a £10.5m fine today for failing to meet its delivery targets over the past year. In a statement this morning, the media watchdog said it would fine the postal company for the second time in just over a year for falling “well short” of its first and second class [...]
Equals finally strikes £283m takeover deal with Lord Hammond-led group December 11, 2024 Equals Group is set to merge with the payments firm chaired by Lord Hammond after striking a £283m takeover deal today, potentially drawing a line under a protracted period of talks that has dragged on for more than a year. The Aim-listed payments outfit, which first addressed a potential takeover by a separate group of [...]
London Stock Exchange exodus hits £107bn as Ashtead eyes the US December 10, 2024 The value of companies fleeing the London Stock Exchange for foreign markets has reached £107bn this year after FTSE 100 Ashtead announced it would be heading across the Atlantic today. In a statement this morning, the construction equipment firm confirmed a long-rumoured move to swap its primary listing to the US, where it has its [...]
Boohoo hits out at Ashley’s Frasers Group again as public spat deepens December 10, 2024 Boohoo has accused Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group of waging a campaign to “destabilise” and “disrupt” the company today in the latest salvo of a protracted spat between the two retail giants. In a letter to shareholders, Boohoo urged them to vote against Ashley’s efforts to install himself on Boohoo’s board and said Frasers is “acting [...]
Labour’s business backers – where are they now? December 10, 2024 Labour won the public backing of over 120 business chiefs in a letter before the election – but the enthusiasm of those executives appears to have dimmed since then. City AM tried to track them down. It was a letter that seemed to signal a tectonic shift in British politics when it landed in newspapers [...]
Aviva set for £3.6bn Direct Line takeover December 6, 2024 Direct Line is set to agree to a £3.6bn takeover by its bigger rival Aviva, after the FTSE 100 firm returned with a sweetened bid for the company today. In a joint statement to the market this morning, the two firms said they had struck the outlines of a deal in which Aviva will pay [...]
