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Accel-KKR has agreed a £208m takeover of construction-software group Eleco. The 235p-a-share offer carries a 74.7% premium and would take the AIM-listed software business private as investment requirements across SaaS, cloud, and AI increase.
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The ECB has raised rates as energy inflation intensifies again. Euro-area borrowing costs will increase by 25 basis points as policymakers respond to higher energy prices while retaining a meeting-by-meeting approach to future decisions.
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A £210m fund will back South East growth businesses regionally. The British Business Bank programme offers loans from £25,000 to £2m and equity investments of up to £5m.
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SThree has received a preliminary takeover approach from Circle8 Group. The possible offer remains highly conditional, with Circle8 facing a 7 October Takeover Code deadline.
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France plans to reduce its exceptional corporate surcharge in 2027. The government is also promising no new business taxes and preparing measures to make employee buyouts easier.
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Cegid and Silae plan a €10bn European software combination deal. The merger would combine accounting, payroll, HR, payments, and digital finance platforms under a Silver Lake-controlled technology group.
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Amazon has raised £4.25bn through its first sterling bond sale. Investor orders reached £10.65bn as hyperscale technology groups increasingly use global debt markets to finance AI infrastructure.
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Goodwin has agreed a £1.1bn engineering division sale to Cerberus. The transaction covers major industrial businesses and is expected to complete in early 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
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Britain sold long-dated debt at its highest recorded yield today. The £4.25bn 2056 gilt attracted £87.2bn of orders, but its 5.8168% yield underlines the higher financing costs now confronting government and capital markets.
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Kistos has secured legal ownership of two important Omani blocks. A Royal Decree has transferred Blocks 3 and 4 to the London-listed energy company, advancing a wider Oman acquisition programme that also includes Block 9.