Endeavour acquires SG’s sports betting business for $1.2bn

BY Fraser Tennant

In a $1.2bn deal it says will strengthen its position in the sports betting industry, global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. is to acquire OpenBet, the sports betting unit of gaming entertainment company Scientific Games Corporation.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, Scientific Games will receive $1bn in cash and $200m in Endeavor Class A common stock, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

“This transaction represents the culmination of a thorough process to divest OpenBet in order to maximise value for our shareholders and rapidly advance our vision to become the leading cross-platform global game company,” said Barry Cottle, president and chief executive of Scientific Games. “The transaction is a significant milestone towards optimizing our portfolio and de-levering the balance sheet to enhance our financial flexibility.”

One of the world’s leading global online sports betting technology companies, OpenBet is the number one business-to-business sports betting partner in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, with a leading position in Europe and Asia Pacific. The company has over 75 global customers, including 24 sports books across 12 states and a 100 percent uptime record across major sporting events.

“OpenBet has built an incredible sports betting suite anchored in its best-in-class betting engine and now including expanded content, services and products for sports books and fans,” said Ariel Emanuel, chief executive of Endeavor. “This capability set is the ideal complement to our IMG ARENA sports betting business, which works directly with sports rights holders. We look forward to growing these businesses together to capitalise on the strong secular tailwinds in the sports betting ecosystem.”

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

“This transaction will position us to invest both organically and inorganically in key growth areas, particularly in content and digital markets,” concluded Mr Cottle. “We are delivering on our promises and executing on our strategy to transform our company and unlock significant value for employees, customers and shareholders.”

News: Endeavor to buy sports betting unit from Scientific Games for $1.2 bln

GE Healthcare agrees BK Medical deal

BY Richard Summerfield

GE Healthcare has agreed to acquire BK Medical from Altaris Capital Partners in an all-cash purchase worth $1.45bn.

The transaction, which is expected to close in 2022, subject to review by the relevant regulatory authorities, will strengthen GE’s $3bn ultrasound business and help the company expand beyond pre-and post-operative diagnostic ultrasound.

GE expects BK Medical to deliver rapid revenue growth by expanding its margins and quickly growing free cash flow. It forecasts high-single-digit returns on its invested capital within five years.

BK Medical, which has operated for 40 years in the imaging space, has a global installed base of more than 14,000 ultrasound platforms.

“Ultrasound today forms an integral part of many care pathways, and BK Medical is a strategic and highly complementary addition to our growing and profitable Ultrasound business,” said Kieran Murphy, president and chief executive of GE Healthcare. “This transaction helps GE Healthcare continue to expand beyond diagnostics into surgical and therapeutic interventions, simplifying decision-making for clinicians and equipping them with greater insights to deliver faster, more personalized care for their patients—representing another step toward delivering precision health.”

“We are immensely proud of the organization and of the life-changing technology that we have built at BK Medical, and look forward to our future as part of the GE Healthcare family,” said Brooks West, president and chief executive of BK Medical. “Combining our expertise in intraoperative imaging and surgical navigation with GE Healthcare’s many strengths and global presence will accelerate our mission to change the standard of care in surgical interventions. Our mission to help surgeons make critical decisions using active imaging aligns well with GE Healthcare’s mission to help physicians make more informed decisions and improve patient outcomes, and we are eager to begin this new chapter.”

“Adding the fast-growing and relatively new field of real-time surgical visualization to GE’s pre- and post-operative Ultrasound capabilities will create an end-to-end offering through the full continuum of care—from diagnosis through therapy and beyond,” said Roland Rott, president and chief executive of GE Healthcare Ultrasound. “GE Healthcare and BK Medical share a passion for clinical innovation, and I’m excited to welcome BK Medical to our team.”

News: GE Healthcare to Acquire BK Medical, Expanding Ultrasound Portfolio into Surgical Visualization

U.S. Bancorp to acquire MUFG Union Bank in $8bn deal

BY Richard Summerfield

U.S. Bancorp, parent of US Bank, has agreed to acquire MUFG Union Bank in a deal worth around $8bn.

Under the terms of the deal, U.S. Bancorp will pay $5.5bn in cash and issue 44 million shares of its common stock, giving the Japanese parent of MUFG Union Bank a 2.9 percent stake in the company. The transaction excludes the purchase of MUFG Union Bank’s Global Corporate & Investment Bank, certain middle- and back-office functions, and other assets.

The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of U.S. Bancorp and MUFG, though it is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2022.

“The acquisition of MUFG Union Bank underscores our commitment to strengthen and grow our business on the West Coast, make investments to serve customers and local communities and enhance competition in the financial services industry,” said Andy Cecere, chairman, president and chief executive of U.S. Bancorp. “With MUFG Union Bank, we will increase access to state-of-the-art financial products while maintaining U.S. Bank’s strong track record of putting its customers and communities first.

“We are also committed to maintaining both organizations’ excellent records of serving low-income communities and supporting minority-led institutions,” he continued. “We have a great deal of respect for the MUFG Union Bank team and share customer-centric and relationship-based strategies and cultures based on integrity. We look forward to welcoming MUFG Union Bank to the U.S. Bancorp family.”

“We are very pleased to have reached this agreement which will allow MUFG to focus and increase our resources on accelerating growth in our Americas wholesale businesses – specifically our corporate and investment banking, global markets, Japanese corporate banking and transaction banking businesses,” said Kevin Cronin, MUFG regional executive for the Americas and chief executive of MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation and MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

For U.S. Bancorp, the deal creates a group with combined assets of $665bn and gives it access to MUFG Union Bank’s 300 branches in the US. The bank said it expects to achieve about $900m in pre-tax cost synergies.

There has been a spate of consolidation deals in the US banking sector over the last two years. Driven by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, dealmaking has gathered pace. In February, M&T Bank agreed to acquire smaller rival People’s United Financial for $7.6bn, while Pittsburgh-based PNC struck a $11.6bn deal last year to buy the US business of Spain’s BBVA. 

News: Japan's MUFG to exit U.S. retail banking in $8 bln deal with U.S. Bancorp

Consortium buys WestConnex toll road for AU$11.1bn

BY Fraser Tennant

In an AU$11.1bn transaction that gives it full control of one of the largest road infrastructure projects in the world, a consortium led by Australian road operator Transurban is to acquire 49 percent of the WestConnex toll road in Sydney.

The consortium, Sydney Transport Partners (STP), already owns 51 percent of WestConnex – an approximately 70km-system of toll roads – after it purchased the stake from the New South Wales (NSW) government in 2018 and emerged as the top bidder for the remainder.

In addition to Transurban, which owns 50 percent, STP, AustralianSuper and Tawreed Investments are also partners in the consortium. Following the acquisition of the remaining 49 percent stake of WestConnex, AustralianSuper and Tawreed Investments will maintain their holding in STP, while the consortium will add Canada’s Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) as a new partner.

“WestConnex is one of the largest road infrastructure projects in the world and a key component of NSW’s integrated transport plan to ease congestion and connect communities in Sydney,” said Scott Charlton, chief executive of Transurban. “We feel privileged to take STP’s holding in this critical asset to 100 percent.”

Under the terms of the acquisition, CDPQ will contribute 20.5 percent of the acquisition cost for the remaining 49 percent stake in WestConnex for a 10 percent stake in STP. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's interest in the STP consortium will be 10.5 percent.

Upon completion of the transaction, the NSW government will have received a total of AU$20.4bn from the sale of the entire WestConnex project.

To fund the acquisition, Transurban will raise AU$4.22bn of new equity. Overall, the acquisition will be fully funded by STP with equity upfront and no additional debt funding. The increased WestConnex ownership is currently expected to facilitate more than AU$600m of additional potential capital releases until 2025.

Dominic Perrottet, NSW treasurer, concluded: “This transaction continues our successful asset recycling strategy, which has been the cornerstone of our record A$108.5 billion infrastructure pipeline that has built and upgraded schools, hospitals, road and rail across NSW.”

News: Transurban consortium to pay $8.1 billion for full control of Sydney tunnel network

Packable strikes $1.55bn SPAC deal

BY Richard Summerfield

Ecommerce marketplace enablement platform Packable has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Highland Transcend Partners Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal worth $1.55bn.

Packable, which is backed by private equity firm The Carlyle Group, was valued at around $1.1bn in November 2020 when Carlyle invested $250m to acquire its stake in the company.

Under the terms of the deal, Packable’s existing shareholders will receive 71 percent of the combined company, Highland Transcend SPAC founders and investors will own 19 percent, while private investment in public equity (PIPE) investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Company, Lugard Road Capital, Luxor Capital, Park West Asset Management and Morningside, will receive the remaining 11 percent.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for our team, and we are thrilled to partner with Highland Transcend as we plan to enter our next chapter as a public company,” said Packable co-founder and chief executive Andrew Vagenas. “While we’ve become a market leader in our industry, there is significant runway ahead of us in multiple avenues: from the continued proliferation of online marketplaces and geographic opportunities to our ability to invest in and grow Digitally Native Brands, while providing new data and technology services, as well as marketing options for our brand partners.”

“While we believe that third-party marketplaces will contribute more than 40 percent of all ecommerce revenues by 2025, brands find themselves challenged to manage the complexity of executing across these platforms,” said Ian Friedman, chief executive of Highland Transcend. “Packable has a leading software-driven offering enabling brands to grow their businesses across multiple online marketplaces. Andrew and the entire team have built an incredibly strong competitive platform; with approximately 75 million customer transactions to-date, we believe that Packable has one of the largest sets of third-party marketplace transaction data, outside of the marketplaces themselves. This data enables Packable’s competitive pricing, merchandising, and marketing decisions and will allow the company to launch a Software-as-a-Service offerings in the future.”

News: Carlyle-backed Packable agrees $1.55 billion SPAC merger