Today
CBA’s Matt Comyn loses his right-hand man, the meticulous David Cohen
Over 15 years at the bank, David Cohen has seen it all. On his retirement, he provides a potted history of CBA’s numerous troubles and its transformation.
- James Eyers
Chemist Warehouse: A look inside the deal of 2023
This week on The Fin podcast, Carrie LaFrenz and James Thomson on the rise of Chemist Warehouse, its deal with Sigma and the biggest risk facing the new merged business.
Yesterday
ACCC rejects Treasury’s attempts to copy US, NZ merger laws
The competition watchdog has warned Treasury that two of the government’s three proposals for merger reforms would fail to fix systemic problems, leaving consumers, small businesses and farmers worse off.
- Hannah Wootton
- Analysis
- The Breakdown
No one can buy Canva now. Other start-ups beware
Any start-up boss hoping to get rich selling their company to a tech giant should learn from Adobe’s failed $US20 billion attempt to buy design app Figma.
- Nick Bonyhady
Battle for takeover target Whispir escalates
A bidding war for communications software business Whispir sent its shares rallying on Wednesday.
- Tess Bennett
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The good, bad and ugly of business in 2023
Big deals, dud deals, scandals and success stories. In a year of high drama and big market moves, we look back at the winners and losers.
- Updated
- James Thomson
This Month
- Exclusive
- Private equity
Pemba Capital snares stake in Rennie Advisory consulting business
The private equity firm will take 40 per cent of the founder-led business, which has aspirations of growing from 40 to 300 staff in four years.
- Aaron Weinman
Irish cement giant’s bid partner Barro is both friend and foe
Raymond Barro, chairman of Adbri, says the Barro family-owned business of 20 concrete plants in Victoria and Queensland is excluded from the deal.
- Simon Evans
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Rinehart walks the talk with $1.7b lithium buy
Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has been in a few lithium scraps, but has invested more in the sector than most this year. Azure Minerals is significant.
- Anthony Macdonald
Advisory roles shift gears at Perpetual, Luminis scores broader role
Street Talk understands Luminis Partners’ role at the $2.9 billion financial services player has widened out to include broader advisory remit.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Origin drops another $530m on UK energy player Octopus
Origin’s stake rises to 23pc, in a deal that values Octopus – which may have played a role in thwarting the EIG-Brookfield bid for Origin – at almost $12 billion.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Bankers strike $5b of M&A deals in Christmas rush
Christmas came early for the country’s investment bankers on Monday after more than $5 billion in deals were struck in one morning, setting up a blockbuster close to what has otherwise been a lacklustre year for transaction activity.
- Aaron Weinman
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Good riddance to Link, an ASX rollercoaster
The company is systemically important to Australia’s superannuation system. But it didn’t always behave that way.
- Anthony Macdonald
Japanese giant MUFG in $1.2b buyout of Link Group
Link chairman Michael Carapiet says the group “stubbed our toes a couple of times” with poor decisions, concluding its time on the ASX with a $1.2 billion Japanese deal.
- Updated
- Simon Evans
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
What’s behind Monday’s $5b deal frenzy
A burst of pre-Christmas deals isn’t unusual. But the impressive market rally in the past six weeks has helped unstick some deals that have been simmering for some time.
- James Thomson
Irish giant CRH and Barro family in $2.1b bid for Adbri
The cement maker’s shares jump 33pc after the $3.20 a share proposal, as Victoria’s Barro family join forces with the NYSE-listed CRH.
- Simon Evans
Intermediate Capital Group set to acquire Cura Day Hospitals
ICG knows Cura well, having funded a management buyout from Archer Capital in 2014.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Lithium heavyweights on cusp of sealing Azure partnership
The battle for control of lithium explorer Azure Minerals is expected to become clearer this week as major investors get close to a cooperation pact.
- Peter Ker
Allkem lithium merger splits pension funds
An $11 billion merger of Livent and Allkem is on track to secure the requisite shareholder support on Tuesday even though AustralianSuper is expected to oppose.
- Peter Ker and Joanne Tran
AFR Business People of the Year | What CEOs want | Inside Chemist Warehouse
In this week’s episode, James and Anthony take a deep dive into what CEOs want to see from Anthony Albanese in 2024 and discuss the astounding Chemist Warehouse deal.
