Reuters Deals Today: January 29, 2018

Click to View in Browser Monday, January 29, 2018 Sanofi beats Novo to buy Ablynx for $4.8 billion in biotech M&A boom PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi has agreed to buy Belgian biotech company Ablynx for 3.9 billion euros ($4.8 billion), beating Novo Nordisk and marking its second big deal this month after buying Bioverativ. DriveNow deal paves way for BMW-Daimler alliance - source FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's BMW has bought out partner Sixt from their joint venture DriveNow, paving the way for a broader car-sharing and robotaxi alliance with Daimler to compete against the likes of Uber and Lyft. Google confirms investment in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Google has made its first ride-hailing investment in Asia by pumping money into Go-Jek, as the Indonesian start-up and deep-pocketed rivals rapidly expand their app-based services and digital payments in Southeast Asia. Indonesia's BTPN says to prepare for merger with Japan SMFG's local unit JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian lender BTPN said on Monday it will conduct an assessment and technical preparation "to begin the merger" with PT Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesia, a unit of Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG). Steinhoff creditors hire PJT, Latham & Watkins for any debt restructuring JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A group of Steinhoff creditors have appointed financial adviser PJT Partners and law firm Latham Watkins to represent them in any potential debt restructuring, PJT said. Rakuten seeks to boost financial services with $415 million Asahi Fire & Marine deal TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Rakuten Inc said it planned to purchase Asahi Fire & Marine Insurance Co Ltd for about $415 million, strengthening its portfolio of financial services as its steps up efforts to diversify beyond conventional online shopping. Canadian cannabis producer Aphria to buy Nuuvera for $826 million (Reuters) - Canadian cannabis producer Aphria Inc said on Monday it would buy rival Nuuvera Inc for $826 million to expand into Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Packaging company WestRock to buy smaller rival KapStone (Reuters) - WestRock Co agreed to buy smaller rival KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp for about $3.5 billion to expand in the western United States and boost margins in its North American corrugated packaging business. Swiss steel firm Schmolz + Bickenbach chosen to buy France's Ascometal STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - Swiss company Schmolz + Bickenbach has been chosen by a Strasbourg court to buy troubled French steelmaker Ascometal, the court said on Monday, with Schmolz + Bickenbach's bid prevailing over a rival one from Liberty House. Singapore REITs consolidate as Warburg Pincus-backed ESR-REIT seeks merger SINGAPORE (Reuters) - ESR-REIT and rival Viva Industrial Trust are in exclusive talks for a merger, which if completed, would mark the first consolidation among Singapore's crowded mid-cap real estate investment trusts. Related Video Saudi corruption purge winds down but mysteries remain A Tennessee town braces for Trump's new trade tariffs Related News Wall St. pulls back from record; utilities slump U.S. consumer confidence rises in December Make sense of the market with highlights of valuable financial information and reports along with compelling investment insights. Register Today Get a jump on the day with our early morning summary of key news developments for the US markets, as well as global market news. Register Today » » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2018 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add newsletters@email.reuters.com to your address book. Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook