Tag: Acquisition

Indonesia – Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) and CIMB are reportedly competing for a controlling stake in Bank Pan Indonesia (Panin Bank), according to three sources familiar with the matter.

According to a Reuters report, two unnamed sources revealed that Singapore-based OCBC and Malaysia’s CIMB have submitted non-binding offers for the stake held by Australian lender ANZ and Indonesia’s Gunawan family, the founders of Jakarta-listed Panin Bank in 1971. 

This development comes after Reuters reported in October that ANZ and the Gunawan family were considering selling their combined controlling stake in the bank, where they hold significant ownership.

The Gunawan family, which currently owns 46.52% of Panin Bank, is reportedly open to reducing its stake and relinquishing control of the bank. According to three anonymous sources cited by Reuters, this move aligns with ANZ’s long-standing efforts to exit its investment in Panin Bank, which have been hindered by ongoing valuation concerns.

ANZ currently holds a 39.22% stake in Panin Bank, while the Gunawan family owns 46.52%, according to London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) data. Together, their combined controlling stake is valued at approximately $2.4b, based on Monday’s closing price of 1,900 rupiah ($0.1197) per share, LSEG data reveals.

The reported sale has attracted interest from major Southeast Asian banks, including OCBC and CIMB, as they compete for control of a bank with a diverse portfolio spanning consumer financing to private wealth, as well as a strong foothold in the fast-growing Indonesian market.

According to Reuters, Panin Bank’s shares surged by nearly 9% on Tuesday, with a 7.9% increase to 2,050 rupiah each at the midday break. Additionally, LSEG data revealed that the bank’s shares have risen 58.3% year-to-date, bringing its total market value to $2.84b.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the deal, confirmed that non-binding bids for the stake are expected by the end of this month.

On Tuesday, LSEG data showed that Panin Bank was trading at a price-to-book ratio of 0.88, in line with peers like Bank CIMB Niaga and Bank Permata, which had ratios of 0.88 and 0.86, respectively. However, it was higher than Bank OCBC NISP’s ratio of 0.78 and Bank Maybank Indonesia’s 0.56.

Singapore – Omnicom Group has confirmed that its board of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement pursuant to which Omnicom will acquire Interpublic Group (IPG in a stock-for-stock transaction. This officially confirms earlier media reports of the advertising giant acquiring another of its rivals.

The combined company will bring together the industry’s deepest bench of marketing talent, and the broadest and most innovative services and products, driven by the most advanced sales and marketing platform. Together, the companies will expand their capacity to create comprehensive full-funnel solutions that deliver better outcomes for the world’s most sophisticated clients.

Omnicom reports that new company will have over 100,000 expert practitioners. The company will deliver end-to-end services across media, precision marketing, CRM, data, digital commerce, advertising, healthcare, public relations and branding.

Moreover, Interpublic shareholders will receive 0.344 Omnicom shares for each share of Interpublic common stock they own. Following the close of the transaction, Omnicom shareholders will own 60.6% of the combined company and Interpublic shareholders will own 39.4%, on a fully diluted basis. The transaction is expected to generate annual cost synergies of $750m.

In terms of the leadership, John Wren will remain chairman & CEO of Omnicom while Phil Angelastro will remain EVP & CFO of Omnicom. Meanwhile, Philippe Krakowsky and Daryl Simm will serve as co-presidents and COOs of Omnicom, with Krakowsky also being co-chair of the Integration Committee post-merger. 

Three current members of the Interpublic Board of Directors, including Philippe Krakowsky, will be welcomed to the Omnicom Board of Directors.

John Wren, chairman & CEO of Omnicom, said, “This strategic acquisition creates significant value for both sets of shareholders by combining world-class, highly complementary data and technology platforms enabling new offerings to better serve our clients and drive growth.”

He added, “Through this combination, we are poised to accelerate innovation and harness the significant opportunities created by new technologies in this era of exponential change. Now is the perfect time to bring together our technologies, capabilities, talent and geographic footprints to bring clients superior, data-driven outcomes. We are excited to welcome Philippe and the entire Interpublic team to the Omnicom family.”

Meanwhile, Philippe Krakowsky, CEO at Interpublic, commented, “This combination represents a tremendous strategic opportunity for our stakeholders, amplifying our investments in platform capabilities and talent as part of a more expansive network. Our two companies have highly complementary offerings, geographic presence and cultures. We also share a foundational belief in the power of ideas, enabled by technology and data. By joining Omnicom, we are creating a uniquely comprehensive portfolio of services that will make us the most powerful marketing and sales partner in a world that’s changing at speed. We look forward to working with John and the entire Omnicom team.”

Manila, Philippines – Security Bank has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a 25% stake in HC Consumer Finance Philippines, Inc. (HCPH), also known as Home Credit Philippines. This strategic move underscores Security Bank’s commitment to enhancing its consumer finance capabilities and expanding its market presence.

Through the agreement, Security Bank will purchase the 25% ownership stake in HCPH from MUFG Bank Ltd. for approximately PHP11b. Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya PCL and its business units) will continue to hold a 75% ownership stake in HCPH and remain the majority shareholder.

This transaction marks eight years of the Security Bank and MUFG strategic alliance, which started in 2016. It also represents the second partnership between Security Bank and Krungsri, following their SB Finance, Inc. joint venture. 

The acquisition aligns with Security Bank’s strategic vision to become the most customer-centric bank in the Philippines. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, with target closing in the first quarter of 2025.

Sanjiv Vohra, president and CEO at Security Bank, said, “As we welcome Home Credit into the Security Bank family, we’re excited by the strategic benefits this acquisition brings. This is a tremendous opportunity to leverage synergies, offer innovative lending solutions, and support financial inclusion. We look forward to driving growth and delivering value to our stakeholders together.”

Meanwhile, Yasushi Itagaki, group COO-I and head of global commercial banking business at MUFG, commented, “We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Security Bank as we believe that Security Bank will complement Krungsri in Home Credit Philippines. Security Bank’s on-the-ground presence and understanding of the local market will bring forth continued growth for Home Credit Philippines.”

Singapore – Sony Group is reportedly in talks to buy Kadokawa, the Japanese media conglomerate giant, according to a recent report from Reuters. In it, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed ongoing talks between the two parties.

The report also notes that should the talks be successful, a deal can be signed in the coming weeks.

Should the deal proceed, this will make Sony the handler of a large chunk of Japanese media offerings on a global scale, which encompasses physical and digital publications, game development, animation studios, as well as other related overseas subsidiaries and owned entities.

In 2021, Sony’s anime distribution service Funimation completed the acquisition of fellow anime streaming service Crunchyroll from global telco network AT&T for a disclosed amount of US$1.175b.

Since then, the company has expanded its reach to more markets globally, including in Asia-Pacific. Earlier this year, Crunchyroll made its move in Indonesia to launch a localised campaign to celebrate more localised content for Indonesian anime fans.

In a recent exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Akshat Sahu, senior director of marketing for APAC at Crunchyroll stated then that the platform’s expansion is in response to growing appetite for anime content in region–albeit to increasing competition from other streaming platforms–local and international.

“We’re ramping up our expansion to meet this demand by bringing fans closer to the anime they love. Our aim is to create a localised experience that caters to the unique cultural and consumption preferences of each market. By expanding further into Southeast Asia, we aim to provide fans with seamless access to an extensive collection of anime and introduce them to new and exciting titles at the same time as they stream in Japan,” he said.

Singapore – Independent global media advisor MediaSense, has acquired creative and media advisory specialist R3 in a bid to significantly expand its global footprint in North America and Asia. 

This is MediaSense’s second growth deal in six months, following its acquisition of ​​PwC’s Marketing & Media advisory team, ​​announced in May 2024, and expands its service to clients beyond media operations into marketing operations, including content and creative. 

The deal further delivers on MediaSense’s growth strategy, developed and implemented since Apiary Capital acquired a significant stake in MediaSense in 2021.  

With this, MediaSense will now advise clients across an expanded suite of marketing operations-related services, supporting them improve performance in an increasingly connected ecosystem where optimal marketing effectiveness necessitates more integrated management and governance of creative, content, media, data and technology.  

While the PwC acquisition added significant scale and financial compliance services to MediaSense, the R3 acquisition adds marketing operations advisory capabilities and significant expansion into North America and Asia. 

Both MediaSense and R3 will for now, continue to operate under their existing brands.  

Graham Brown, CEO at MediaSense, said, “Our growth ambitions are informed by listening to our clients’ current and future needs, and increasingly they require joined-up advice across disciplines and territories. With the acquisition of R3, we are expanding beyond media operations into marketing operations, adding content and creative capabilities and significantly growing our presence in North America and Asia.”

He added, “In R3 we have found a partner who is completely aligned with the principles of engineering value for clients and supporting them in navigating change. We are delighted and proud to welcome R3 and its talented teams to MediaSense. This marks our second major acquisition in 2024, positioning us for continued growth as we support clients to optimise their organisations, agencies, and performance, delivering the best returns across their marketing and media investments, globally.”

Meanwhile, Greg Paull, co-founder and principal at R3, commented, “The coming together of MediaSense and R3 creates a truly independent global advisory business. As one team, we have the ability to support brands with cross-discipline experience and intelligence as they transform their marketing organisations from the inside, and through agency, data and tech partnerships. We are excited to be joining MediaSense on this innovative growth journey and offering our combined clients a more expansive and integrated service, globally.” 

Lastly, Shufen Goh, co-founder and principal at R3, stated, “In MediaSense we have found the ideal partner with whom to grow, given our shared values and complimentary service offerings, across both capabilities and geographies. We are completely aligned on clients’ requirements for best-in-class advice and more integrated thinking in relation to their marketing organisations, external partners and governance over their marketing investments.” 

Manila, Philippines – Del Monte Pacific has announced that it will restructure its investment in Del Monte India by exchanging its shares with 13% direct shareholding in Agro Tech Foods Limited (ATFL), an Indian food company. In turn, ATFL will acquire the 59% equity stake of the Bharti Group in Del Monte India.

In a recent disclosure by Del Monte Pacific, it stated that it will continue licensing the Del Monte trademark to Del Monte India on a perpetual and exclusive basis to protect the value of the brand by safeguarding Del Monte quality standards and derive royalties therefrom.

“The Group’s direct investment in ATFL means that it would be invested in a broader business that includes profitable product categories which have yielded shareholder returns for several years. Further, a direct equity stake in a company whose ordinary shares are listed in stock exchanges generally means more liquidity for its shareholders and enhanced corporate governance practices and benefits,” Del Monte Pacific said in their disclosure.

Given how ATFL has a bigger consumer packaged goods platform with a wider and deeper distribution network in India, Del Monte Pacific stated that ATFL is well-positioned to grow the Del Monte brand in India.

“India has been an exciting and flourishing market, and we are proud of the brand’s journey and impact on the Indian food industry. Under Sundrop Brands’ platform, we believe the Del Monte brand will reach new heights in India. This transaction supports the Group’s strategic focus on its core markets and partnerships that drive growth,” Rolando Gapud, executive chairman at Del Monte Pacific, stated.

ATFL has just rebranded itself as Sundrop Brands, and holds popular consumer brands such as ACT II popcorn and Sundrop edible oil. 

California, USA – Samba TV has announced its acquisition of Semasio, a global provider of contextual targeting and audience data solutions. This strategic acquisition enhances Samba TV’s capabilities in delivering privacy-first targeting across digital and connected TV (CTV) platforms, further solidifying its position as a leader in AI-powered omniscreen advertising.

By acquiring Semasio, Samba TV will expand its global footprint as well as its capabilities for advertisers to define and reach granular audience segments through a unified approach that combines contextual, behavioral, and demographic data. 

Semasio, with over 100 customers in 50 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, maintains over 1 billion stable user profiles globally and analyzes over 2.5 billion web pages each month, enabling advertisers to optimise campaigns in both ID-based and ID-less environments.

The acquisition enables Samba TV to expand the availability of its AI-powered solutions by integrating its video data into Semasio’s platform, enhancing advertisers’ ability to reach consumers with contextual relevance across digital, mobile, and CTV platforms. 

The Semasio platform is already widely deployed among programmatic trading desks enabling brands, agencies, and data owners to expand and activate first-party and third-party data at scale in dozens of countries worldwide. This combined offering addresses the increasing need for brands to operate in a cookie-less, privacy-conscious world, where first-party data and contextual intelligence are crucial for success.

Lastly, combining Samba TV’s data and identity solutions with Semasio’s global audience and capabilities enables audience and contextual strategies to coexist seamlessly. By integrating Semasio’s robust data platform with Samba TV’s proprietary omniscreen measurement tools, advertisers will now have access to more precise and comprehensive solutions for campaign optimisation and audience engagement across all digital and TV environments.

Aden Zaman, CCO at Samba TV, said, “Before this acquisition, we were partners with Semasio and saw huge potential in the platform and for the team behind it. As a first-party data owner, we recognize and appreciate the importance of identity resolution, data distribution, and onboarding. The acquisition of Semasio expands our value proposition to data companies with global reach into the world’s most important media platforms.”

As part of the acquisition, ​​Semasio CEO Jeff Ragovin will be transitioning leadership of the company to general manager Zac Pinkham.

“Joining forces with Samba TV empowers us to fully realize Semasio’s vision by expanding investment into our next-generation platform, which seamlessly integrates audience-based and contextual targeting with greater reach across more channels. I’m excited to see how Samba TV’s expertise and resources will propel Semasio to new heights,” Ragovin said.

Singapore – Major telco player Singtel has announced that it intends to sell its mobile wallet Dash to Western Union. As the sale is subject to regulatory approvals, Singtel assures that Dash customers will continue to have access to all existing services in the meantime.

Launched in 2014, Dash is an all-in-one mobile wallet that lets customers pay, remit, save, invest and insure from one app. Currently, it has it has over 1.4 million users and is available to everyone regardless of their telco or banking relationship.

For Singtel, the sale is part of their ongoing measures to simplify its structure and portfolio to boost innovation and growth opportunities.

Moreover, the acquisition aligns to Western Union’s purpose to provide accessible financial services to aspiring populations worldwide. It underscores Western Union’s Evolve 2025 strategy to expand its financial ecosystem, as well as double its digital business by focusing on product innovation and scalable market investments.

Anna Yip, deputy CEO of Singtel Singapore, said, “In line with our Group’s Singtel28 strategy to focus on our core business and competencies, we have decided that Western Union is best placed to bring Dash to the next level. We will work closely with Western Union to ensure that our Dash customers and business partners continue to be well-supported and the transition is seamless.”

Meanwhile, Sohini Rajola, head of Asia-Pacific at Western Union, commented, “We are excited to have the opportunity to welcome Dash to Western Union and are working collaboratively with Singtel to secure regulatory approvals. Our business in Singapore is a unique blend of branded digital services and owned locations, serving citizens and residents across the country. This strategic move accelerates our Evolve 2025 vision, and strengthens our global digital capabilities.”

Evercore Asia (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. acted as exclusive corporate finance adviser to Singtel on this transaction.

Australia – Global data and technology company Experian has announced the completion of its A$820 million acquisition of consumer and commercial credit bureau, illion, in Australia and New Zealand.

The acquisition and integration of illion’s 500-person team, data, software and intellectual property into Experian will create a unified business that brings together complementary capabilities, assets, people and customers. 

The combined organisation is set to enhance market choice and deliver data-driven solutions for businesses and consumers across the region.

Following the acquisition completion, Experian has confirmed that John Banfield, CEO of illion, will be stepping down following the successful completion of the acquisition. Banfield played a pivotal role in transforming illion’s performance and culture, culminating in the company’s acquisition by Experian. 

Malin Holmberg, CEO at Experian EMEA and Asia-Pacific, said, “Having successfully led the Australia and New Zealand business for the past seven years, Andrew Black, will take leadership of the combined organisation, overseeing the strategic integration and growth plans, leveraging our global innovations.

Meanwhile, Andrew Black, CEO at Experian A/NZ stated that Experian’s five-year strategic plan will quickly unlock value of the combined team and capabilities, with the first phase balancing speed and service continuity for customers.

“This is a historic day for our business, our people and our customers – and it’s just the beginning,” Black said. “Through this acquisition we aim to continue our growth trajectory in Australia and New Zealand, significantly expand our market and bring new capabilities to redefine what a data-driven technology business can be.”

He added, “illion has built an impressive product portfolio, data assets and customer base that are diverse and complementary to Experian’s strengths and we have a robust integration plan that will enable our customers to quickly realise the benefits of the combined entities. One of the big wins here is the combined data assets which will provide more choice for our customers. This is going to supercharge our product and service capabilities, in alignment with Experian’s global strategy, in a way that simply hasn’t been possible before.”

Black also confirmed that the new combined entity will be rebranded to Experian, likely within the next 12 months, although some of the illion product names that have gained credible market awareness will continue.

“Our people are our greatest competitive differentiator, which is not only recognised by our customers but also leading workplace authorities such as Great Place to Work and Work180. The integration will foster a culture of collaboration, bringing together our best talent to create a unified, empowered and high-performing team,” Black said.

London, United Kingdom – Global adtech company Equativ has announced the acquisition of retail media platform Kamino Retail in a bid to expand the adtech company’s suite of solutions for the fast-growing retail media channel and builds on the Sharethrough merger.

Through this acquisition, Equativ and Kamino Retail provide retailers with a comprehensive, independent, and transparent suite of solutions that fully unlock the potential of their advertising space and shopper data. 

The combination of the two technologies allows retailers to reach the full potential of their retail media program, including continuing to enrich their retail media program through innovative and efficient solutions, such as the video retail media that Kamino Retail was the first to launch – as well as the activation of retailers’ 1st party data on Equativ’s inventories. 

Moreover, retailers will be able to build their own retail media stack, relying on the full-API technologies offered by Kamino Retail and Equativ – and thus stand out from growing competition with a tailor-made offer.

Another capability retailers can also tap is optimising the value chain, by regaining control of their technology and their relationships with brands and their agencies, by guaranteeing optimised and transparent management of retail media campaigns. In addition, there is also supporting onsite and offsite activation, for endemic and non-endemic brands, with support for direct sales and full programmatic demand.

For agencies and brands, they can also benefit from Equativ’s newly-enhanced on-site and off-site retail media capabilities, which include leveraging the DSP of their choice for their onsite and offsite retail media activations; leveraging Kamino Retail’s algorithms to maximise the performance of their campaigns: conversion rates, sales units, RoAS; increasing engagement and visibility of their products directly on the retailers’ site, using new high-funnel formats, such as retail media video solutions; and the existence of a independent, interoperable retail media monetisation platform, centralised as a one-stop-shop for onsite and offsite success, compliant with all environments.

Arnaud Crépu, CEO at Equativ, said, “The acquisition of Kamino, alongside our recent merger with Sharethrough, reinforces our commitment to driving innovation and strategic growth within key sectors of the digital advertising landscape. This integration of shared strengths allows Equativ to provide even stronger value for our partners. Offering access to a comprehensive, transparent, results-driven, and ever-expanding suite of solutions ensures we can both continuously cater for evolving needs and enhance our position in the global ad market.”

Meanwhile, Elie Aboucaya, co-founder of Kamino Retail, commented, “More than a choice, this strategic acquisition was an obvious choice for us! Equativ’s proven off-site technology suite, combined with Kamino Retail’s expertise and unique platform, allows us to provide our customers with ever more efficient, agnostic, interoperable and integrated solutions.”

Lastly, Marianne Schneider, co-founder of Kamino Retail, stated, “Equativ’s global presence, combined with their strategic partnerships, provides a significant boost to our international deployment and our technological roadmap.”