Grab has agreed to pay $1.49 billion in cash for a 60% stake in Atome Financial, a buy now, pay later provider operating across Asia-Pacific.
8:01 PMFinextra16 stories from 7 sources
Strategic expansion meets rising scrutiny across major deals
Day’s Recap
Supporting Articles
Grab will acquire Atome Financial for $1.49 billion as it expands its consumer lending business across Southeast Asia. The deal adds Atome's buy-now-pay-later and lending capabilities to Grab's existing payments and financial-services operations.
12:31 AMCNBC
Jefferies expects Solar Industries' defence revenue contribution to decline to 22% to 25% by FY30 after its Omnia acquisition, as agriculture and explosives become larger businesses. The brokerage sees near-term earnings dilution and higher leverage but retained its Buy rating, forecasting more than 30% earnings growth and return on equity above 25%.
2:38 AMEconomic Times
Solar Industries shares fell more than 17% in two sessions after the company announced its Rs 12,951 crore acquisition of South Africa's Omnia Holdings. Jefferies and Nuvama maintained Buy ratings, citing earnings growth, cash generation and the strategic value of global expansion.
1:40 AMEconomic TimesStarbucks is weighing the sale of a majority stake in its Japan business, its largest overseas company-operated market, in a deal valued at about $3 billion.
11:36 AMCNBCMark Walter and Todd Boehly are selling stakes in Chelsea Football Club to Clearlake Capital, changing the ownership balance behind the Premier League team. The deal comes as two of Walter’s insurance companies face federal criminal and civil investigations involving the accounting of roughly $21 billion in financial transactions.
11:35 PMCNBC8:01 PMFinextra
Grab agrees $1.49bn deal to buy majority stake in Apac BNPL platform Atome
Summary
Grab has agreed to pay $1.49 billion in cash for a 60% stake in Atome Financial, a buy now, pay later provider operating across Asia-Pacific.
The deal gives Grab direct control of a major regional consumer-credit platform and expands its
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
Grab is using a large acquisition to turn ecosystem reach into a scaled lending business.
12:31 AMCNBC
Grab aims for 'next level' in financial services with purchase of buy-now pay-later platform Atome
Summary
Grab will acquire Atome Financial for $1.49 billion as it expands its consumer lending business across Southeast Asia. The deal adds Atome's buy-now-pay-later and lending capabilities to Grab's existing payments and financial-services operations.
Grab is moving from offering financial products to owning more of the lending stack. The
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The deal signals that Southeast Asia's major consumer platforms see embedded lending as a core growth business, not an adjacent service.
2:38 AMEconomic Times
Solar Industries’ defence share may fall to 22-25% by FY30 after Omnia deal: Jefferies
Summary
Jefferies expects Solar Industries' defence revenue contribution to decline to 22% to 25% by FY30 after its Omnia acquisition, as agriculture and explosives become larger businesses. The brokerage sees near-term earnings dilution and higher leverage but retained its Buy rating, forecasting more than 30% earnings growth and return on equity above 25%.
The acquisition changes Solar Industries from a more defence-led growth story into a broader portfolio,
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The deal may improve long-term diversification, but investors must absorb weaker near-term earnings quality and higher debt.
1:40 AMEconomic Times
Solar Industries shares plunge 17% in 2 days. Why Jefferies, Nuvama still see up to 46% upside
Summary
Solar Industries shares fell more than 17% in two sessions after the company announced its Rs 12,951 crore acquisition of South Africa's Omnia Holdings. Jefferies and Nuvama maintained Buy ratings, citing earnings growth, cash generation and the strategic value of global expansion.
The market is treating the acquisition as a near-term execution and valuation risk, despite the
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The correction reflects investor doubt over the cost and execution of Solar Industries' biggest expansion move.
11:36 AMCNBC
Starbucks considers selling majority stake in its Japan business: Reuters
Summary
Starbucks is weighing the sale of a majority stake in its Japan business, its largest overseas company-operated market, in a deal valued at about $3 billion.
A sale would shift control of a major international operation while giving Starbucks a sizable
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The decision could reshape Starbucks' international ownership model and provide a significant test of its capital strategy.
11:35 PMCNBC
Mark Walter and Todd Boehly selling stakes in Chelsea Football Club to Clearlake Capital
Summary
Mark Walter and Todd Boehly are selling stakes in Chelsea Football Club to Clearlake Capital, changing the ownership balance behind the Premier League team. The deal comes as two of Walter’s insurance companies face federal criminal and civil investigations involving the accounting of roughly $21 billion in financial transactions.
The ownership reshuffle gives Clearlake a larger position while putting pressure on Walter’s wider business
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
Chelsea’s ownership is changing as regulatory risks rise around one of its principal backers.
2 stories · 2 sources
Other Developments
A curated list of other prominent stories from this day.
Canadian dealmakers assess M&A conditions as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to mobilize C$1 trillion in public and private investment over five years. The discussion comes as trade tensions add uncertainty to Canadian corporate and investment decisions.
4:06 PMBloomberg MarketsGFL Environmental founder and CEO Patrick Dovigi said he is open to offers to take the waste-management company private. Any proposal would need to value GFL above its recent stock-market trading levels.
3:45 PMBloomberg MarketsGFL Environmental CEO Patrick Dovigi said the company has not decided whether to go private again. He discussed the possibility of pursuing such a transaction in the near future.
3:44 PMBloomberg MarketsGFL Environmental CEO Patrick Dovigi discussed the possibility of taking the company private again in the near future. The comments indicate that a transaction is under consideration but has not been announced.
3:36 PMBloomberg Markets
Mainstay acquired Truelist and raised $18 million in financing. The company became independent after being carved out of Opendoor in 2024.
12:56 PMHousing Wire
Coldwell Banker Apex is expanding its Texas operations through an acquisition. The firm recorded 10,478 transaction sides last year, ranking No. 40 nationwide.
12:07 PMHousing Wire
James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision acquired Outsyders, an AI and machine learning company that improves 3D production and postproduction workflows. The deal expands Lightstorm's push into premium stereoscopic content and adds software capabilities to its filmmaking operations.
10:39 AMVarietySazerac is exploring a potential acquisition of Berentzen-Gruppe, a German maker of schnapps and other spirits, according to people familiar with the matter.
10:20 AMBloomberg MarketsKKR has emerged as the preferred bidder to acquire Portuguese packaging maker Logoplaste, according to people familiar with the matter.
7:31 AMBloomberg Markets4:06 PMBloomberg Markets
Canadian M&A Sentiment Amid Trade War
Summary
Canadian dealmakers assess M&A conditions as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to mobilize C$1 trillion in public and private investment over five years. The discussion comes as trade tensions add uncertainty to Canadian corporate and investment decisions.
The government is trying to offset trade-war pressure by using public capital to crowd in
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
Canada is positioning state-backed investment as a counterweight to weaker confidence and heightened trade risk.
3:45 PMBloomberg Markets
GFL CEO Dovigi Says Company Exploring Potential Take-Private
Summary
GFL Environmental founder and CEO Patrick Dovigi said he is open to offers to take the waste-management company private. Any proposal would need to value GFL above its recent stock-market trading levels.
Dovigi has put a potential take-private on the market's agenda without announcing a transaction or
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
A founder-backed take-private is now a credible possibility for a company whose public valuation may be viewed as too low.
3:44 PMBloomberg Markets
No Decision On Going Private: GFL CEO
Summary
GFL Environmental CEO Patrick Dovigi said the company has not decided whether to go private again. He discussed the possibility of pursuing such a transaction in the near future.
The key shift is greater public visibility for a potential deal, not a formal process
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The absence of a decision limits immediate deal certainty while keeping strategic and financial buyers engaged.
3:36 PMBloomberg Markets
GFL CEO Discusses Potentially Going Private
Summary
GFL Environmental CEO Patrick Dovigi discussed the possibility of taking the company private again in the near future. The comments indicate that a transaction is under consideration but has not been announced.
GFL is signaling openness to a take-private without establishing a timetable, bidder, or financing plan.
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The company has opened a strategic path away from public markets, even though no deal process is confirmed.
12:56 PMHousing Wire
Mainstay acquires Truelist, raises $18M in financing
Summary
Mainstay acquired Truelist and raised $18 million in financing. The company became independent after being carved out of Opendoor in 2024.
Mainstay is using fresh capital to pursue growth soon after separating from Opendoor. The Truelist
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The transaction shows how a recently spun-out real estate business is using outside capital and M&A to establish its own growth path.
12:07 PMHousing Wire
Coldwell Banker Apex expands in Texas with acquisition
Summary
Coldwell Banker Apex is expanding its Texas operations through an acquisition. The firm recorded 10,478 transaction sides last year, ranking No. 40 nationwide.
The acquisition extends an already sizable brokerage's Texas footprint and adds scale to its agent
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The deal reinforces the continued consolidation of residential brokerage around scaled regional operators.
10:39 AMVariety
James Cameron’s Lightstorm Scoops Up AI-Powered 3D Tech Company Outsyders
Summary
James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision acquired Outsyders, an AI and machine learning company that improves 3D production and postproduction workflows. The deal expands Lightstorm's push into premium stereoscopic content and adds software capabilities to its filmmaking operations.
The acquisition moves AI from a general production tool into the specialized pipeline for stereoscopic
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
AI could make high-end 3D production more scalable and strengthen the position of studios that control both creative IP and production technology.
10:20 AMBloomberg Markets
Sazerac In Talks to Buy German Schnapps Maker Berentzen
Summary
Sazerac is exploring a potential acquisition of Berentzen-Gruppe, a German maker of schnapps and other spirits, according to people familiar with the matter.
Sazerac is testing whether Berentzen can expand its presence in Germany and broaden its European
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The potential deal could accelerate consolidation in European spirits and give Sazerac a stronger route into the German market.
7:31 AMBloomberg Markets
KKR Is Said to Be Preferred Bidder for Portugal’s Logoplaste
Summary
KKR has emerged as the preferred bidder to acquire Portuguese packaging maker Logoplaste, according to people familiar with the matter.
KKR now has the inside track, but the deal remains subject to final negotiations and
Unlock the full First Pass Analysis to get a better understanding of why this story mattersWhy it matters
The bid gives KKR a potential foothold in a sector where durable industrial demand can support private-equity ownership.
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