JvH schreef op 5 januari 2019 09:54:
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TMT Finance most read stories 2018
Published on 04.01.2019
TMT deal activity has soared throughout 2018, with TMT Finance exclusively reported on an ever-increasing host of transactions, partnerships and strategic shifts and moves in the global TMT sector. In 2018, TMT Finance broke over 500 Exclusive Deal Talk stories across the year, highlighting new business opportunities, M&A process updates, new mandates, debt and equity financing transactions, and people moves.
2019 looks set to be another robust year, with a strong pipeline of deals expected by our global audience. But first, we wanted to review your most popular TMT Finance Exclusive news stories of 2018, in each region, and reflect on the highlights of the 2018. Happy New Year!
EUROPE
1. Altice dials Lazard in France – news that Patrick Drahi’s Altice was undertaking another asset sale in order to further deleverage. This time, it was subsidiary SFR’s fibre assets in France, with Lazard hired to run the process.
2. KPN plots asset sale – a number of operators are looking to free up capital through infrastructure offloads and KPN is the next, pondering the sale of its datacentres.
3. KKR hires for E2bn+ cable exit – two years after KKR first considered exiting Balkans-focused cable and pay TV operator United Group (formerly SBB Telemach), the private equity formally hired Credit Suisse to sell the company.
MEA
1. Altice launches new infra sale – another Altice asset hits the market, this time the business in question is Israel’s HOT Telecom. TMT Finance also learned that Morgan Stanley had secured the mandate.
2. Goldman lands US$1bn African DC mandate – news that private equity firm Permira had hired Goldman Sachs to sell its South African datacentre business Teraco Data Environments, as it looks to capitalise on soaring infrastructure – particularly datacentre – valuations.
3. Lazard grabs African telco mandate – French advisory firm Lazard was hired by the government of West African country Togo to run the privatisation of its national telecom operator, Togocom.
ASIA
1. Hutch in exclusive telco merger talks – CK Hutchison's unit Hutchison Telecom Lanka was holding exclusive talks with market rival Etisalat Sri Lanka on a potential merger. Later on, the merger was announced and in late 2018 the transaction was completed after receiving regulatory approval.
2. Carlyle-backed towerco for sale – Carlyle was trying to sell its Indonesian tower portfolio STP and hired Morgan Stanley to run a sale process. However, a deal didn't take place in the end, as the seller and potential buyer Protelindo failed to agree on a valuation.
3. Alibaba swoops for US$500m Goldman biz – Alibaba invested the latest funding round of Goldman Sachs-backed Chinese auto parts platform Carzone. Post-deal, Alibaba will hold a majority stake in Carzone, which is valued at US$506m.
AMERICAS
1. US B2B fibre co seeks buyer – the owners of Everstream Solutions – M/C Partners – mull a sale for the B2B fibre network provider portfolio business.
2. One left in Conterra sale – TMT Finance revealed the names of the parties bidding for US fibre company Conterra Networks, owned by Court Square Capital, citing EQT as the frontrunner.
3. William Blair scoops US$1bn mandate – after recently expanding coverage to encompass the TMT industry within the Americas, TMT Finance learned that William Blair had been hired to sell Kelso & Company’s datacentre software and solutions provider Sirius Computer Solutions.
TECH
1. Bidders prep entire TomTom takeover – with the sale process surrounding TomTom’s telematics unit in full swing, TMT Finance learned that a number of bidders were readying offers for the entire E2.5bn-valued business.
2. Goldman runs mammoth software sale – in the software space Vista-owned Advanced had been put on the market with a valuation of around £2bn, while Goldman Sachs was hired to manage the ongoing sale.
3. E1.5bn software mandate for Rothschild – following a number of announced software sales across Europe, private equity firm Apax Partners mandated Rothschild as it eyed an exit from Dutch enterprise software company Exact.
PEOPLE MOVES
1. JPM loses London TMT trio – TMT Finance unveiled the names of three bankers who left the firm within a matter of weeks of one another, moving to other banks including Goldman Sachs and Mediobanca.
2. BNP Asia TMT head to leave – BNP Paribas’ managing director and co-head of TMT investment banking for the APAC region resigns from the bank after six years.
3. Telco MD leaves HSBC London – TMT Finance exclusively revealed that a London-based, telecoms-focused HSBC managing director stepped down from his role, after eight years at the investment bank.