FCC OKs Cox Media-WJAX Deal
The Federal Communications Commission has approved Cox Media Group’s purchase of Hoffman Communications’ CBS affiliate WJAX in Jacksonville. Cox will assume the station’s debt and pay approximately $175,000 to Hoffman, creating a duopoly with its existing Fox/MyNetwork/Telemundo outlet WFOX. DirecTV filed a petition to deny the deal, arguing the applicants offered no public‑interest justification, but the FCC’s Media Bureau rejected the challenge, citing operational efficiencies and enhanced local content. The clearance expands Cox’s broadcast footprint in a key Florida market.
Why Rezolve AI (RZLV) Is Betting Big on Reward Loyalty to Scale Commerce Media and Payments
Rezolve AI PLC (NASDAQ:RZLV) announced a cash acquisition of Reward Loyalty UK Limited for $230 million, financed entirely from existing resources. The deal is non‑dilutive and is projected to contribute roughly $90 million of EBITDA‑accretive revenue. Reward Loyalty brings a live commerce‑media,...
Blackstone-Backed EPL to Merge with Indovida to Make $2 Billion Packaging Giant
Blackstone‑backed EPL and Indorama Ventures’ Indovida India have signed a definitive share‑swap agreement to merge their rigid packaging businesses, forming a $2 billion entity with roughly $1 billion in annual sales. Indorama will become the majority shareholder with a 51.8% stake, while...
JetBlue-Alaska Makes Most Sense, But Does Alaska Want It?
JetBlue is actively scouting merger partners after years of uneven profitability and a failed Spirit bid, with Alaska Airlines emerging as the most logical fit. Alaska’s strong cash position, West‑Coast dominance and international aspirations complement JetBlue’s Northeast network and Caribbean...
Vedanta's Anil Agarwal Invokes Gita in First Statement on Jaypee Bid Reversal: ‘We Have No Attachment to This Asset’
Vedanta Ltd Chairman Anil Agarwal broke his silence after the Committee of Creditors reversed the company’s highest bid for Jaiprakash Associates, a deal valued at roughly $2.0 billion, in favor of Adani Enterprises' $1.8 billion offer. Agarwal invoked the Bhagavad Gita, emphasizing...
Global PE Firm Advent International Eyes 25% Stake in Potato-Maker Iscon Balaji
Advent International is in early talks to acquire a 25% stake in Iscon Balaji Foods, valuing the Indian potato processor at roughly ₹5,000 crore (about $600 million). The deal highlights growing private‑equity interest in India’s frozen‑potato and quick‑service‑restaurant supply chain. IBF supplies frozen fries...
DJs Blame Private Equity for Music Firm’s Woes
Native Instruments, a leading music‑software and hardware maker with 25 million users, filed for insolvency after years under private‑equity ownership. DJs and producers blame the financial engineering of its investors for the firm’s collapse, despite a pandemic‑driven sales surge. The company...
Compass, eXp, Real Add Teams; 2 BHGRE Firms Join Forces
Several major U.S. real‑estate brokerages announced strategic team acquisitions and geographic expansions this week. eXp Realty welcomed the high‑performing Maximum Tampa group, which generated nearly $52 million in 2024 sales, while Compass added the billion‑dollar Avenue Realty Group in Virginia. Real...
Info Edge Exits Shopkirana via Swap Deal with Udaan’s Parent Trustroot; to Invest Rs 250 Cr in A88 Fund
Info Edge approved a strategic swap, selling its 26.14% stake in Shopkirana E Trading to Trustroot Internet for $32.97 million and receiving preference shares that give it a 2.13% indirect holding in Trustroot. The company will also inject $1.72 million, bringing total...
Fertittas to Purchase Connecticut Sun for Record $300 Million
The Fertitta family, owners of the Houston Rockets, are set to buy the WNBA's Connecticut Sun for a record $300 million, with the franchise slated to move to Houston for the 2026 season and be renamed the Comets. Tilman Fertitta, a...
January, February Active Months for RIA M&A
MarshBerry reported 55 RIA M&A deals in January‑February 2026, an 8.3% decline from the record‑setting 2025 pace but 14.5% above 2024, indicating sustained deal flow. Private‑capital‑backed buyers accounted for roughly 69% of transactions, with Hightower Advisors, CAPTRUST and Mercer Advisors...
SEALSQ Corp (LAES): One of the Popular Penny Stocks on Robinhood
SEALSQ Corp announced a Letter of Intent to acquire quantum‑interconnect specialist Miraex, granting a 60‑day exclusivity period for due diligence and targeting a June closing. The deal will be financed through SEALSQ’s Quantum Fund and is binding on Miraex. Miraex’s...
M'bishi Electric, Toshiba, Rohm Sign Accord on Chip Business Merger Talks
Japanese electronics giants Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba and Rohm have signed a memorandum of understanding to begin talks on merging their power semiconductor businesses. The three firms, which together will hold about 11% of the global market by 2025, aim to...
More Insurance M&A Deals on the Horizon?
Insurance M&A activity stabilized in 2025 after a steep 40% drop from 2023, with 211 carrier and broker deals globally, up from just over 200 in 2024. In the U.S. and Bermuda, 455 deals were recorded, but P/C carrier volumes...
Toys “R” Us Canada Launches Sale Process
Toys “R” Us Canada has filed to start a formal sale process, seeking court approval in April 2026 with bids expected in May and a potential closing by mid‑July. The retailer’s footprint has shrunk from 81 stores in 2021 to just...
Ceconomy Says Austria May Block JD.com’s Purchase Offer
Ceconomy announced that Austrian authorities may block JD.com Inc.'s €2.2 billion (~$2.5 billion) offer to acquire the German consumer‑electronics retailer. The Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy has expressed doubts about the transaction’s approvability and refused to join a joint solution‑finding process. Ceconomy...
Colorado Public Broadcasters Explore Merger
Rocky Mountain Public Media and Community Radio for Northern Colorado, the operator of KUNC, have signed a nonbinding agreement to explore a merger. The proposal would combine finance, fundraising and human‑resources functions while keeping both stations locally owned and pledging...
Meta Acquisition of Moltbook Signals Shift to Agentic Commerce Infrastructure
Meta has acquired Moltbook and folded its agent‑to‑agent directory into Meta Superintelligence Labs, signaling a pivot from experimental autonomous buying to a core commerce infrastructure. The integration eliminates traditional human‑behavior signals at checkout, replacing them with "agentic telemetry" that validates...
Ticker: Versant Looking to Acquire Vox’s Podcast Division, According to Report
Versant, the parent of MS NOW and CNBC, is in early‑stage talks to acquire Vox's podcast division, which produces roughly 40 shows. The potential purchase aligns with Versant's strategy to broaden its political news, opinion, sports and entertainment verticals beyond traditional...
Citi Eyes Regional Bank Deal as Fraser Turns to Next Chapter
Citigroup executives are quietly evaluating a purchase of a major U.S. regional bank to dramatically boost deposits, a stark departure from CEO Jane Fraser’s recent focus on organic growth. Potential targets such as Truist and PNC each hold roughly $500 billion...
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Janus Henderson Group plc will hold a shareholder vote on April 16, 2026, to approve a merger with a Jupiter subsidiary owned by funds linked to Trian Fund Management and General Catalyst. If approved, each JHG share converts to a...
Sax Acquires CoMetrics
Sax Advisory Group announced the acquisition of CoMetrics Partners, a boutique consulting and technology firm, expanding its turnaround, profit‑optimization and performance‑analytics services. The deal brings three CoMetrics partners and the entire staff into Sax’s Parsippany, New Jersey headquarters, though financial terms...
Unilever Closer to Mega Food Spin‑off as McCormick Talks Advance
Unilever is advancing talks with McCormick to spin off its Foods division, valued at roughly $33 billion, using a reverse Morris trust that sidesteps capital‑gains tax. McCormick, worth about $14.5 billion, would acquire the unit and grant Unilever shareholders a majority stake...
From the Supreme Court’s Cox Ruling to Primary Wave’s Kobalt Deal… It’s MBW’s Weekly Round-Up
Primary Wave Music announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kobalt, with Brookfield joining as a strategic investor, creating a sizable independent publishing alternative. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that ISP Cox Communications cannot be held liable for subscriber piracy,...
Nestlé Moves Forward with Billion-Dollar Deal: Private Equity Firms Eye Perrier and San Pellegrino
Nestlé is advancing the sale of a 50% stake in its European water division, which includes premium brands such as Perrier, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. The transaction is expected to value the division at roughly €5 billion (about $5.45 billion). Private‑equity heavyweight...
Top 20 Private Equity Firms Leading Cross-Border Investments
An analysis of private‑equity cross‑border activity from 2020 through 2026 shows U.S. firms executed 2,973 platform investments abroad while international firms made 1,330 platform deals in the United States. The report ranks the top ten U.S.‑based PE firms, led by...
AnaptysBio Spins Out Biotech Operations; Affibody's Data in Hidradenitis Suppurativa
AnaptysBio announced the spin‑out of its biotech operations into a newly formed independent public company, First Tracks Biotherapeutics. The separation isolates AnaptysBio’s early‑stage pipeline, giving First Tracks a focused platform to advance its candidates. The announcement also highlighted promising data...
Exclusive: UAE CFDs Broker Amana Sells UK Arm to Max Koretskiy’s 11:FS
UAE‑based CFDs broker Amana, through its Dubai holding 180 Capital, has sold its FCA‑licensed UK subsidiary to 11:FS Holdings, a partnership between David Brear and Max Koretskiy. The UK operation will be rebranded as Kinsworth Investments Ltd and will expand...
Telenor, GlobalConnect Fibre Deal Facing Hurdles
Norway’s competition authority has raised red flags over Telenor’s planned purchase of GlobalConnect’s fibre business, warning that the deal could lift broadband prices and degrade service quality by curbing competition. Regulators highlighted that many households might be left with only...
Lone Star Completes Acquisition of Alliance Ground International
Lone Star Funds has completed its acquisition of Alliance Ground International (AGI), a Miami‑based airport services provider operating at more than 60 North American airports. The deal, announced after a definitive agreement in January, brings AGI’s 12,000‑strong workforce under Lone...
Unity to Shut Down IronSource Ads Network and Explore Supersonic Sale as Revenue Beats Guidance
Unity reported first‑quarter revenue of $505‑$508 million, comfortably beating its $480‑$490 million guidance, and forecast adjusted EBITDA up to $135 million, a 58% year‑over‑year increase. The company announced it will shut down the IronSource Ads Network by April 30 2026 and is actively seeking a...
‘$1 Trillion Gap’ Attracts Private Equity to Women’s Health, Says Kearney’s Paula Bellostas Muguerza; Astorg, Cinven, Nordic Target Pathology Assets
Private equity firms are flocking to women’s health, drawn by a projected $1 trillion spend gap that creates lucrative growth opportunities. Dealmakers such as Astorg, Cinven and Nordic Capital are also targeting pathology assets, citing rising demand for diagnostic services and...
Recordati Gets €10.9bn Takeover Bid From Private Equity Firm
Italian pharma group Recordati has received a €10.9 billion (≈ $12.5 billion) unsolicited takeover proposal from private‑equity firm CVC Capital Partners, which would take the company private and delist it from the Milan exchange. CVC already controls roughly 47% of Recordati’s shares, having...
Guardian CEO Shares Plans for Advisor Channel After Desjardins Deal Closes
Guardian Capital Group completed a $1.67 billion take‑private transaction with Desjardins, becoming part of Desjardins Global Asset Management. CEO George Mavroudis, now also president of Desjardins’ asset‑management arm, outlined a plan to accelerate growth in the advisor channel, emphasizing long‑term product...
Advent to Sell Hair Care Brand Olaplex to Henkel for $1.4bn
Advent International is selling its hair‑care brand Olaplex to German conglomerate Henkel for $1.4 billion, ending Olaplex’s Nasdaq listing and Advent’s ownership. The deal values Olaplex at roughly $1.4 billion, reflecting its strong consumer base and premium pricing. Henkel will integrate Olaplex’s...
Nippon Cargo Airlines and ANA Cargo to Merge Sales and Warehousing
ANA Holdings is consolidating the sales and warehousing functions of its recent acquisition, Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA), with its ANA Cargo unit starting 1 April. The move creates a single global sales point and merges domestic warehouses at Chubu Centrair and...
FGS Reps Brown-Forman as It Talks Merger
Brown‑Forman, represented by FGS Global, announced it is in merger discussions with French liquor giant Pernod Ricard. Both companies describe the potential deal as a merger of equals that would create a global spirits leader with a balanced geographic footprint. Pernod Ricard...
Novartis to Spend up to $2B on Excellergy and Its Next-Gen Xolair Candidate
Novartis announced it will pay up to $2 billion upfront to acquire Excellergy Inc., securing the biotech’s next‑generation anti‑IgE candidate. The move comes as Xolair, Novartis’ blockbuster allergy drug, prepares for imminent biosimilar competition that could erode its market share. By...
Deadline for Simba Telecom's M1 Acquisition Pushed Back
Keppel and Simba Telecom have agreed to push back the long‑stop date for Simba's acquisition of M1's telecom business to May 21 2026, after the Infocomm Media Development Authority extended its regulatory review. The transaction, announced in August 2025, values M1's enterprise...
Tenneco Clean Air Eyes Acquisitions, Ramps up R&D to Drive Next Growth Phase
Tenneco Clean Air India, a subsidiary of the $17 billion U.S. Tenneco group, is gearing up for a new growth phase that includes a potential first acquisition, a new manufacturing plant in Haryana and a $2 million boost to its R&D centre....
PE Targets Pathology Assets: 5 Deals
A group of five private‑equity firms—Astorg, Cinven, Nordic Capital, Consonance and Pike Street—are actively pursuing acquisitions of pathology assets. Their coordinated interest highlights the growing attractiveness of diagnostic services as a stable, cash‑generating sector. The firms aim to consolidate a...
Etu Energias to Acquire Azule Energy’s Stakes in Angola’s Offshore Blocks
Portuguese‑based Etu Energias has signed a sale‑and‑purchase agreement to acquire Azule Energy’s 20% stake in Block 14 and 10% stake in Block 14K, offshore Angola. The deal, valued at up to $310 million including $115 million in contingent payments, replaces a previously aborted consortium...
Suzano / Kimberly-Clark JV Merger Inquiry
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a Phase 1 merger inquiry on 27 March 2026 into the joint venture between Brazil’s Suzano and consumer‑goods giant Kimberly‑Clark. The inquiry invites written comments from interested parties until the statutory deadline of 28 May 2026, after...
Pernod Ricard Wants to Acquire Jack Daniel’s
French spirits giant Pernod Ricard and U.S. producer Brown‑Forman are in advanced talks to merge, which would combine Pernod’s €15 billion (≈$16.2 billion) valuation with Brown‑Forman’s $12 billion market cap. The combined entity would own a broad portfolio including Absolut Vodka, Havana Club rum,...
Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman in Merger Talks
Pernod Ricard and Brown‑Forman have entered exclusive talks about a merger‑of‑equals that would combine two of the world’s largest premium‑spirits producers. Both companies are similarly sized, with Brown‑Forman valued at $11.8 billion and Pernod Ricard at roughly $11.8 billion (≈€15.6 billion). The combined entity would...
Farewell but Not Goodbye to ‘GlenTinto’, Analysts Say
The $240 billion proposed merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore fell apart in February, with both sides unable to agree on valuation splits. While Australian shareholders celebrated the breakup, rising thermal coal prices—up roughly 25% to about $130‑$150 per tonne—have revived...
Novartis Agrees to Acquire Excellergy, Building on Allergy Leadership With Next-Generation Anti-Ige Innovation
Novartis announced a definitive agreement to acquire Excellergy, a private biotech developing next‑generation anti‑IgE therapies. The deal values Excellergy at up to $2 billion in upfront and milestone payments, with closing targeted for the second half of 2026. Exl‑111, Excellergy’s lead...
Serica Completes TotalEnergies Asset Deal, Establishes West of Shetland Gas Hub
Serica Energy has completed the acquisition of a 40% operated interest in TotalEnergies' Greater Laggan Area assets, adding roughly 5,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) to its portfolio. The deal gives Serica operatorship of the Shetland Gas Plant,...
Helios Consortium Offer for CAB
On 12 February 2026 the Helios Consortium announced a cash offer to acquire all outstanding CAB Payments shares at US$1.15 per share. The offer is now backed by shareholders controlling roughly 52.7% of CAB’s capital, making it the only firm, deliverable bid...
Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. – Falcon Provides Update on Transaction with Tamboran
Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. announced that the British Columbia Supreme Court approved the final order needed to complete its pending transaction with Tamboran Resources, subject to amendments addressing shareholders under sanctions. The court’s decision follows shareholder Lamesa Holding’s opposition...