TOPIC

Mergers & Acquisitions

Mergers & Acquisitions
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Mergers & Acquisitions. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Japan’s car sector is due for consolidation, according to a hedge fund manager. Photo: AP
Donald Trump

Japan’s carmakers under pressure to merge as Chinese rivals rise, tariffs bite

The consolidation could be Japan-specific as carmakers elsewhere have already been through that cycle, Man Group’s Stephen Harget says.

videocam
Italy

Pirelli sidelines China’s Sinochem over control of the Italian tyremaker

Hong Kong

Ant pays US$362 million to buy Hong Kong retail broker Bright Smart

Hong Kong economy

Twist in Hutchison ports deal as Italian shipping family’s role surfaces

Aponte family owns world’s largest container line, which is spearheading the strategic acquisition of CK Hutchison’s overseas ports.

18
MSC is the world’s largest container line and has a 20.3 per cent market share. Photo: EPA-EFE
Banking & finance

China Mobile gets 15.5% stake in HKBN to fend off rival I Squared Capital

Company agrees to pay about US$154.6 million for the block of shares from private equity firm TPG.

CK Hutchison

Hutchison says it is evaluating spin-off of global telecoms business

‘From time to time, the [group] receives proposals and explores and evaluates opportunities that may be available,’ Hutchison said in a statement.

11
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
X (formerly Twitter)

Elon Musk sells X social media platform to his own xAI for US$33 billion

The tech billionaire plans to combine the ‘data, models, compute, distribution and talent’ from the app and start-up.

videocam
Tech billionaire Elon Musk wears a ‘Trump Was Right About Everything!’ hat while attending a cabinet meeting at the White House on Monday. Photo: Reuters
China property

Exclusive | BlackRock sells last Shanghai asset at discount amid China retreat

The US firm is selling its last major asset in the city, Trinity Place, for 900 million yuan (US$124 million), according to sources.

9
Banking & finance

China to attract more private equity from Middle East and US: Bain & Co

Asia-Pacific deal value rose 11 per cent to US$176 billion in 2024, according to Bain & Company.

Hutchison’s Panama ports deal

Li may swing BlackRock deal with just 15% of minority owners’ votes

Minority shareholders are also expected to support the sale to receive a special bonus of as much as HK$25 a share, they said.

videocam
7
Li Ka-shing (centre) during his final annual general meeting as the chairman of his flagship companies CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings in Hung Hom on 10 May 2018, before his retirement. Photo: Sam Tsang
China technology

Wingtech sells 4.6 billion yuan assembly assets after losses from US sanctions

The company signed an agreement to sell stake in five subsidiaries to Luxshare Precision Industry, according to filing with Shanghai Stock Exchange.

An undated aerial photograph of Dongguan Luxshare Technology in Guangdong province. Photo: Handout
United States

Hutchison stays mum on plan to sell port assets amid Panama spat, China rebuke

No event that might require disclosure was identified, Hutchison said, leaving the onus on shareholders to question the directors at its AGM on May 22.

16
ESG investing

Hong Kong investor to leave Webb-site data as ‘gift to public interest’

David Webb says he hopes someone will carry on his work of collecting and distributing data on corporate governance and other topics.

Hong Kong property

ICBC (Asia) backs Hong Kong developers with loan support as sector struggles

Local subsidiary of China’s largest bank has ‘zero’ non-performing loans from Hong Kong developers and plans to increase home mortgages.

A worker cleans a pool near residential construction projects in the Kai Tak area of Hong Kong on March 11, 2025. Photo: May Tse
Banking & finance

China’s brokerage sector sees mega-mergers but remains competitive, fragmented

China’s intensely competitive securities sector, with more than 140 firms, has been repeatedly pulled up by regulators, S&P Global says.

Late last year, Guotai Junan Securities and Haitong Securities announced a 103 billion yuan merger to create China’s biggest brokerage. Photo: Shutterstock
Infrastructure

UK utility Thames Water eyes Hong Kong’s CK Infrastructure as potential buyer

Thames Water wants CK Infrastructure as a potential buyer if court appeal fails, aiming to minimise nationalisation time and financial risks.

CK Hutchison

Li Ka-shing’s Hutchison steps back from global ports amid trade war

CK Hutchison said it would sell 80 per cent of its stakes in 43 ports in 23 countries, including Panama but excluding mainland China and Hong Kong.

6
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Banking & finance

China’s M&A deals set to rebound from decade-low as DeepSeek, AI fuel interest

M&A fell 16 per cent to a 10-year low in 2024 as jumbo deals dwindled, PwC says in report.

China is goading its brokerages and car producers to consider mergers amid domestic rivalry and tariff threats. Photo: Simon Song
Artificial intelligence

Baidu’s US$2 billion DeepSeek-infused streaming app adopts meme-inspired name

Live-streaming platform YY Live has launched a chatbot called YYDS in a reference to DeepSeek and a popular meme used to express admiration.

Banking & finance

China nudges CICC-Galaxy merger to form nation’s No. 3 brokerage

A combination of CICC and Galaxy has secured backing from Chinese authorities in recent weeks and could be announced in the coming weeks, sources said.

Banking & finance

Citigroup eyes US$500 billion in outbound investments from China and East Asia

Chinese and Taiwanese companies will invest nearly US$300 billion overseas, while those from South Korea will funnel US$200 billion.

videocam
Citigroup expects Chinese and Taiwanese firms to invest in technology, AI, EVs and healthcare overseas. Photo: Reuters
Elon Musk

OpenAI board rejects Elon Musk’s US$97.4 billion offer

The ChatGPT maker is not for sale, the board says, as Musk tries to block the start-up from becoming a for-profit firm.

Elon Musk is seen outside Blair House in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
YouTube and YouTubers

YouTube, the global online video powerhouse, turns 20

More than 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Product of China’s potential car mega-merger would eclipse BYD in sales

Company combining Dongfeng and Changan could allocate resources to the most competitive products and technologies, analyst says.

Nissan

Nissan to bow out of historic tie-up with Honda, Nikkei reports

The pair had been negotiating the terms of a tie-up under which Honda would absorb Nissan, bringing the two brands under a single holding company in 2026.

Nissan Motors’ Chief Executive Makoto Uchida (left),Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors (center), and Honda Chief Executive Toshihiro Mibe (right), leave after a joint news conference in Tokyo on December 23, 2024. Photo: AP
Banking & finance

Asian investors play big role in megafund focused on secondary PE market

Investors are paying more attention to secondary PE market amid global volatility and liquidity crunches.

Jason Yao, head of Greater China at Ardian. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong media

Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li to sell HKEJ publisher to PCCW for US$9 million

PCCW to pay 0.69 times revenue for the unprofitable publishing firm, versus 0.64 times average of industry peers.

HongShan to acquire iconic audio brand Marshall for US$1.1 billion, sources say

The Stockholm-based company’s guitar amplifiers have been used by musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Lana del Rey.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement