Articles by Jan-Henrik Förster and Ruth David

Private Equity Firm KKR Nears €2.3 Billion Deal for French Insurance Broker April Group

French insurance broker April Group said private equity firm KKR & Co. has become its new majority shareholder, according to a statement posted on its website. The statement, which confirmed a Bloomberg News report, didn’t disclose deal terms. KKR is …

Finland’s Sampo Oyj Explores Cash Offer of UK Insurer Hastings

Finnish insurance group Sampo Oyj is exploring an entry into the UK market with a potential bid for general insurer Hastings Group Holdings Plc. Sampo and Hastings’s biggest shareholder, Rand Merchant Investment Holdings Ltd., have approached the London-listed insurer about …

French Insurer April Attracts Interest From Private Equity Firms CVC, KKR

French insurer April SA has drawn takeover interest from private equity firms including CVC Capital Partners, KKR & Co. and BC Partners as it weighs a sale amid a wave of industry consolidation, according to people familiar with the matter. …

UK’s GoCompare.com Attracts Interest From KKR, Other Private Equity Firms

GoCompare.com Group Plc attracted takeover interest from potential acquirers, including private equity firm KKR & Co., in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.K. insurance comparison company and its board decided to stay independent after holding …

What’s Next for Major Blockchain Firm R3? IPO or Sale?

R3, a blockchain-software company that works with more than 200 heavyweights such as Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., US Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co., is considering going public, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is speaking with …

Allianz Eyes M&A Targets Zurich, Hartford, QBE, Argo and More After Missing Out on XL

A $94 billion financial behemoth is keeping the market on tenterhooks about its next move. Europe’s largest insurer, Allianz SE, is in the early stages of evaluating a variety of potential acquisition targets as deal-hungry Chief Executive Officer Oliver Baete …

SoftBank Talks Over Buying Stake in Swiss Re Stalled: Bloomberg

Talks between billionaire Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank Group Corp. and Swiss Re AG about buying a stake in the world’s second-biggest reinsurer have come to a standstill, people familiar with the matter said. The two sides disagree on the price and …

SoftBank Borrows $8B, Backed by Its Stake in Alibaba, Say Sources

SoftBank Group Corp. borrowed about $8 billion through a margin loan backed by its Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. stake as the Japanese technology giant aims to bolster its financial flexibility, according to people familiar with the matter. The loan, guaranteed …

XL Group Attracts Interest from Allianz, Other Rivals as Potential Buyers

Bermuda-based insurer XL Group Ltd. is attracting interest from rivals including Allianz SE of Germany, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Interest from insurers in potentially acquiring XL, which had a market value of almost $10 billion at …

Update: UK Boards Begin to Use Their Clout to Push for Diversity & Inclusion

When the co-founder of a London communications group was invited to pitch for business with a Wall Street firm last November, the offer came with an unusual demand. The document explained that 15 percent of the scorecard for the pitch …