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Europe’s February M&A rewarded scarcity, scale, and defensive cashflows. Italy’s MPS pursued Mediobanca in a €16bn tie-up. InPost drew a €7.8bn offer as buyers chased large last-mile platforms. Blackstone and EQT agreed to buy Urbaser for $6.6bn, Germany took a TenneT stake, and Henkel moved for coatings group Stahl.
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February’s UK dealmakers chased scale, stability, and strategic scarcity again. Engie’s £10.5bn agreement for UK Power Networks led the month, while Nuveen’s £9.9bn purchase of Schroders underscored pressure for asset-management scale. NatWest bought Evelyn Partners, nexfibre consolidated fibre via Substantial, and Brookfield-backed Radiant merged with London’s Ori in late February.
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Goldman’s chief says Iran war risks need time to price. David Solomon told a Sydney summit the initial reaction was “benign”, as oil rose and equities fell. Investors are watching for sustained energy disruption and inflation spillovers.
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Basware is expanding InvoiceAI with agentic tools for accounts payable. The company says new agents in its invoice lifecycle management platform will automate supplier disputes and help AP teams resolve payment queries, as finance leaders report rising pressure to show measurable AI returns.
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Arctic Wolf buys Sevco to expand exposure assessment capabilities globally. The deal brings Sevco’s asset intelligence onto the Aurora Platform, aiming to help customers and MSPs identify, prioritise, and remediate exposures across hybrid environments. Terms were not disclosed.
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Sole traders spend 27 hours yearly on tax admin. With Making Tax Digital approaching, Monzo Business has launched a free built-in tax tool to help sole traders and landlords meet new HMRC requirements, as research shows many remain underprepared and lose significant working time to compliance tasks.
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Oxford Science Enterprises will trade on London’s new private market. The £1.3bn venture capital firm, known for backing tech spin-outs from Oxford University, will debut on the London Stock Exchange’s Private Securities Market, marking a milestone for the Pisces framework.
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UK SMEs are leaning on AI, and disputes are rising. A dispute resolution lawyer says ‘almost right’ outputs and jurisdictional blind spots can harden positions and inflate costs.
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UK finance hiring plans climb as AI skills remain scarce. Robert Half says 58% of employers expect permanent headcount growth by summer 2026, while 43% plan interim hires.
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NatWest eases lending restrictions amid energy security pressures. The bank has relaxed its fossil fuel lending policies, reflecting increased energy security concerns and shifting national priorities despite global climate goals.