ONE Nuclear Energy goes public via a SPAC merger with Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. VII in a $1.1bn deal.

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AMERICAS

Augustus Global completes acquisition of Omega Aerial Refueling Services.

Augustus Global, an investment and business development firm, completed the acquisition of Omega Aerial Refueling Services, a commercial provider of contracted, in-flight air-to-air refueling services, according to press releases. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Omega Aerial Refueling Services was advised by Deloitte. Debt financing was provided by MGG Investment Group, Morgan Stanley, Prairie Capital and Sciath Group, according to press releases.

Insight Partners leads a $100m Series C round in Numeral.

Insight Partners, a global venture capital firm, led a $100m Series C round in Numeral, an AI-powered sales tax compliance platform, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Geodesic, Benchmark, Mayfield, FCVC, Y Combinator and Uncork, according to press releases.

Numeral was advised by Aspectus (led by Cliff Maroney). Insight Partners was advised by Willkie Farr & Gallagher (led by Matthew Haddad and Stephanie Moran), according to press releases and MergerLinks data.

Smurfit Westrock to acquire Chilean containerboard and corrugated business of Empresas CMPC for $420m.

Smurfit Westrock, a global paper and packaging solutions partner, agreed to acquire Chilean containerboard and corrugated business of Empresas CMPC, a forestry and paper manufacturing company, for $420m, according to press releases.

Empresas CMPC is advised by JP Morgan, according to MergerLinks data.

Smith Point Capital leads a $200m Series C round in Hubble Network.

Smith Point Capital, a venture capital and growth equity firm, led a $200m Series C round in Hubble Network, a satellite-powered Bluetooth network, with participation from Seraphim, Carthona Capital, Earthshot Ventures, Y Combinator, and RPM Ventures, according to press releases.

Hubble Network is advised by VSC Public Relations, according to press releases.

People withdraws its offer for the remaining shares in MGM Resorts International at an $18bn valuation.

People, America's largest digital and print publisher, withdrew its offer for the remaining shares in MGM Resorts International, an American multinational hospitality, sports and entertainment company, at an $18bn valuation, according to press releases.

Insight and S32 lead a $350m Series E round in Snorkel.

Insight and S32, two venture capital firms, led a $350m Series E round in Snorkel, the frontier AI data lab, building the data and environments behind advanced AI systems, with participation from Third Point, March, Blumberg, Allegis, Standard VC, Frontline, Addition, Lightspeed, Greylock, GV, P7, Wells Fargo, and Walden Catalyst Ventures, according to press releases.

Specialty Program Group completes the acquisition of HCM Unlocked.

Specialty Program Group, an operator of specialty insurance distribution, underwriting, and consulting businesses, completed the acquisition of HCM Unlocked, a technology-enabled managed service provider specializing in human capital management, according to press releases. Financial terms were not disclosed.

PLACE completes the acquisition of Maxwell.

PLACE, a real estate and financial services technology company, completed the acquisition of Maxwell, a provider of AI-powered mortgage technology and services, according to press releases. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Pharmacy benefits firm Rightway eyes IPO after new funding. (Bloomberg)

Rightway, a pharmacy benefit manager serving about 3m people, is considering an initial public offering in the coming years as it seeks to expand its position in the US market.

The privately held company was valued at $1.75bn following its latest funding round.

Dan Ives joins closed-end fund wave with AI-focused vehicle. (Bloomberg)

Dan Ives is launching a closed-end fund focused on private artificial intelligence companies, joining a growing number of investment vehicles giving public-market investors access to private startups.

Ives Ultra AI Opportunities plans to invest primarily in equity and equity-related securities of late-stage US AI companies and is seeking to raise $200m in an initial public offering.

Bessemer Venture Partners closes $5.75bn to back founders from seed through growth. (Press Release)

Bessemer Venture Partners has raised $5.75bn in new capital, including $1.75bn for seed and early-stage investments and $4bn for growth-stage deals.

The firm said the funds will support investments across the artificial intelligence ecosystem, from computing and infrastructure to foundation models, developer platforms, applications and AI agents.

Blackstone debuts first multi-asset fund for non-US individuals. (Press Release)

Blackstone is launching its first multi-asset private-markets fund for retail investors outside the US, as alternative asset managers seek to expand their reach beyond institutional clients.

The Blackstone Private Markets Fund will allow investors to request quarterly withdrawals of up to 3% of the fund’s net asset value, according to investor materials and a company statement.

EMEA

IDS Holdco to acquire the UK lockers business of Quadient for €65m.

IDS Holdco, a UK-based holding company, agreed to acquire the UK lockers business of Quadient, a global technology company that provides business automation solutions for customer communications, finance operations, mail and shipping, and smart parcel lockers, for €65m ($74m), according to press releases.

Quadient is advised by Societe Generale, Addleshaw Goddard, Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier and OPRG Financial (led by Fabrice Baron), according to press releases.

Schneider Electric to acquire Shelly Group for €1.2bn.

Schneider Electric, a French multinational corporation that specializes in energy technology, covering electrification, automation, and digitalization for industry and homes, agreed to acquire Shelly Group, a provider of IoT and smart building solutions for DIY and professional users, for €1.2bn ($1.4bn), according to press releases.

Shelly Group is advised by JP Morgan and Djingov Gouginski Kyutchukov Velichkov, according to press releases.

Taiwan Cement to acquire Ivano-Frankivskcement for €750m.

Taiwan Cement, a building materials provider, agreed to acquire Ivano-Frankivskcement, a Ukrainian manufacturer of building materials, for €750m ($859m), according to press releases.

Taiwan Cement is advised by Morgan Stanley. Ivano-Frankivskcement is advised by DC Advisory (led by Stefan Jaecker), according to press releases and MergerLinks data.

UC Investments and Baillie Gifford lead a $580m Series D round in TEKEVER.

Investment companies UC Investments and Baillie Gifford led a $580m Series D round in TEKEVER, an IT, aerospace, defence and security technologies company based in the Lisbon region, with participation from Crescent Cove, Ventura Capital and Iberis Capital, according to press releases.

TEKEVER was advised by JP Morgan, according to MergerLinks data.

Multiples Alternate Asset Management leads a $150m funding round in Brahma AI.

Multiples Alternate Asset Management, a private equity firm, led a $150m funding round in Brahma AI, an AI-native entertainment technology company, according to press releases.

Brahma AI is advised by Cantor Fitzgerald, according to press releases.

S32 leads a $140m Series C round in Basecamp Research.

S32, a venture capital firm investing at the frontiers of technology, led a $140m Series C round in Basecamp Research, a frontier AI company developing AI-designed medicines, with participation from Menlo Ventures' Anthology Fund, Catalio Capital Management, European Tech Collective, Firebrand River Capital, Inception Fund, King Philanthropies, NATO Innovation Fund, NVIDIA, PostScriptum, Redalpine, The Rockefeller Foundation, Singular, Sovereign AI and True Ventures, according to press releases.

C.H.BECK and MANZ lead a €100m Series C round in Noxtua.

C.H.BECK, a German legal publisher, and MANZ, an Austrian legal publishing house, led a €100m8 ($114m) Series C round in/Noxtua, a European sovereign legal AI provider, according to press releases.

Tikehau-backed EYSA completes the acquisition of Joinup.

Tikehau-backed EYSA, an international provider of smart mobility solutions, completed the acquisition of Joinup, a specialized urban mobility software platform, according to press releases. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Joinup was advised by DC Advisory (led by Ana Segurado), according to press releases.

Commerzbank could buy UniCredit's HVB as part of a bank tie-up. (Reuters)

Commerzbank could potentially acquire UniCredit’s German bank HVB using shares as the German and Italian lenders explore a possible merger.

Such a structure is one of several options being considered to increase UniCredit’s stake in Commerzbank.

Triton Partners to mull sale or IPO of Trench Group. (Bloomberg)

Triton Partners is exploring a potential sale or initial public offering of Trench Group, a Berlin-based maker of power transmission components.

The European private equity firm has hired Morgan Stanley to advise on a dual-track process as demand grows for German companies benefiting from the artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout. Talks are ongoing and may not result in a transaction.

Arnault family to simplify LVMH shareholding structure through Christian Dior. (Reuters)

The Arnault family is planning to simplify its ownership structure of LVMH by merging its holding company Agache with Christian Dior. The transaction, expected in December, would create a new Agache entity directly controlling 49.76% of LVMH and 65.55% of its voting rights, compared with the family’s current direct and indirect holdings of 50.33% and 66.27%, respectively.

The merger would include a tender offer for the 2.44% of Dior shares not already owned by Agache, while the family does not plan to delist the new entity.

Kenya's Quickmart sees Nairobi listing as owner offers a 50% stake. (Bloomberg)

Quickmart, one of Kenya’s leading supermarket chains, plans to list on the main market of the Nairobi Securities Exchange as its sole owner seeks to sell part of its stake.

Sokoni Retail Kenya plans to offer 2bn shares, representing half of its holding, in the proposed listing.

APAC

ESR to acquire Aquila Clean Energy APAC.

ESR, an Asia-Pacific real asset owner and manager, agreed to acquire Aquila Clean Energy APAC, a clean energy platform that develops, owns and operates solar, battery storage and wind assets across the region, according to press releases. Financial terms were not disclosed.

BlackRock and IFM close in on $25bn Asia data center deal. (Bloomberg)

A consortium backed by BlackRock and IFM Investors has entered exclusive talks to acquire Stack Infrastructure’s Asia-Pacific data center portfolio.

The group, which includes BlackRock-backed Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership and IFM, is preparing to conduct due diligence on the assets. The portfolio could be valued at about $20bn to $25bn, with talks ongoing and terms subject to change.

Kobayashi in $3.2bn buyout talks after red-yeast case. (Bloomberg)

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is considering a potential buyout offer of more than JPY500bn ($3.2bn).

Private equity firms CVC Capital Partners and Nippon Sangyo Suishin Kiko are weighing a bid to take the Japanese health products maker private, with the founding family also considering participating in the transaction. Talks are ongoing, and terms could still change.

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