Merger regulators in the US and Europe have taken more aggressive stances on deals and companies have been pushing back, leading to court battles and uncertainty.
Microsoft Corp.’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. and Broadcom Inc.’s proposed $61 billion takeover of VMware Inc. are nearing the finish line. On Wednesday, Microsoft and Activision extended their deal deadline through October to accommodate negotiations with the UK competition agency, which agreed to reconsider its veto of the merger last week. Also on Wednesday, the UK joined the EU counterpart in clearing the Broadcom—VMware deal, turning all eyes to Lina Khan’s US Federal Trade Commission to see whether the agency will decide to challenge the merger.
Meanwhile, global antitrust enforcers have several other deals under review that could be resolved in the second half of the year.
Here is a chart listing some of the biggest deals under review. The EU and UK provide deadlines to issue decisions, while US regulators do not.
Author: Leah Nylen, Samuel Stolton and Katharine Gemmell
