A cheeky website about deals, dealmakers and anything else I find interesting. Edited by Ben Harrington. If you have a tip or want to discuss a story please feel free to email Betaville at ben@betaville.co.uk.
Betaville wasn't too impressed with Luke Johnson's columns when he first arrived at The Sunday Times several years ago.
However, the entrepreneur, investor and now journalist has managed to turn it around, churning out some real humdingers in recent weeks.
Indeed, this website particularly enjoyed this weekend's cynical piece by Luke on WeWork, the shared co-working space. Below is a link to the column:..
And below is a confirmation to yesterday's little snippet on Argo Blockchain's shares trading on the main market.
Shares in a company that wants to be the first cryptocurrency business to list in London are set to begin trading tomorrow.
Stock in Argo Blockchain, which hopes to mine for crypto currencies, is likely to begin changing hands on the London Stock Exchange at around 16p tomorrow, said sources claiming to be familiar with the matter...
Betaville has been banging on about this second wave of China-backed interest in European businesses for the last month or so.
And today there has been further evidence to back this website's theories. A group of Chinese investors have snapped Irish stockbroker Goodbody for EURO 150 million. Below is a link to a Financial Times report on the deal:..
Ping!
An email arrives containing a letter Councillor Stephen Cowan wrote to the residents of the Gibbs Green and West Kensington housing estates about how Ian Hawksworth, chief executive of Capital & Counties, said he plans to return the estates to the Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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Here is a cheeky new column that appeared in the Evening Standard's business section yesterday. The intro contains a rather juicy jackanory or two...
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Sierra Wireless is said to be circling Telit Communications, the Aim-listed Internet of Things device manufacturer.
Sierra Wireless, a Canadian IoT company, is thought to be interested in an all-share combination with Telit and is believed to have informally sounded out some of the company's shareholders about a deal, said sources claiming to be familiar with the matter...
Has Burford Capital bitten off more than it can chew?
Readers might remember a piece I wrote in the The Sunday Times business section a few weeks ago about how Tatiana Akhmedova had enlisted Burford Capital, the Aim-listed litigation funder, to help her recover £453 million from former husband Farkhad Ahkmedov, including a 377 ft super-yacht called Luna. Below is the link:..
Oh look - I see Bloomborg last night published a piece that about Belgian insurer Ageas that is eerily similar to the one Betaville published a couple of weeks ago. I have pasted the links below:
Loyal readers will be aware that this website was one of the first "media organisations" to flag up the story about how powerful business people with cash and connections to politicians, such as Roland Rudd, are looking to back a Pro European centrist group interested in establishing a new political party following the dreaded Brexit. Below is a link to the original piece and follow up in the The Sunday Times...
Prudential, the FTSE 100-listed insurance company, is said to have received a merger proposal for its UK and European operations ahead of the completion of its demerger into two separately-listed companies.
Earlier this week, the Financial Times suggested Germany's Allianz or a Chinese group is interested in buying the whole of Prudential...
There is an intriguing little diary piece in today's The Times about how a mystery property tycoon with a penchant for the Latin phrase Veni Vidi Vici has bought 200 copies of Oliver Shah's new tome about Sir Philip Green and is handing them out to friends, business acquaintances and colleagues.
Below is a link to Dom Walsh's City people diary column:..
Last month Betaville asked how much lower can Foxtons stock go after the shares hit an all time low of 57p.
Well, a lot lower it would seem: the estate agency's shares flirted with 47p today!
And sentiment could be about to get even worse in the London property market. Click on the link below tonight's FT piece:
https://www.ft.com/content/99072e92-8a6b-11e8-bf9e-8771d5404543..
So, today's business section of the Daily Mail appears to be echoing the theme Betaville has aired over the last week about a rekindling of China-backed dealmaking for European/British businesses. I have pasted the link below:..
Goldman Sachs this evening restricted its equity research team from publishing a rating on Capita, according to sources familiar with the situation.
It's well known the Wall Street bank has been advising Capita and its (newish) chief executive, Jon Lewis, on the company's £700 million rights issue and the £700 million disposal programme, including the recent sale of parking management company Parkingeye to Macquarie and MML Capital for £235 million...
I see Bacanora Minerals (or is it Lithium?) has finally confirmed the piece I wrote in The Sunday Times the other week about how a secretive Omani fund is in talks to take a stake in the company as part of a major equity and debt fundraising. Below are links to the original piece I wrote and also today's RNS confirmation...
Loyal readers might remember this website's recent scoop about the former PM potentially joining Lex Greensill's outfit: Greensill Capital (now rebranded as just Greensill). Below is a link to the piece:
https://www.betaville.co.uk/news/revealed-david-cameron-former-pm-said-to-be-in-tal/..
Voila! Controversial Telit Communications has finally confirmed it has struck a deal to sell its automotive division for $105 million - $125 million. Below is the link:
[Disclaimer - the information on Betaville does not consitute any form of investment recommendation and is not intended to be relied upon by readers in making, or refraining from, any investment decisions].