Swiss financial markets infrastructure operator SIX Group AG announced the completion of its all-cash voluntary tender offer for Spanish stock exchanges operator Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME), securing 93.16% of BME’s share capital. SIX acquired a total of 77,899,990 shares for over EUR 2,569,141,670. Following the acquisition, BME will become part of SIX.
Together SIX and BME will create a more diversified group with a strong European presence. The Swiss markets operator believes that the acquisition will strengthen the Spanish and Swiss ecosystems and bring new opportunities to BME and SIX participants and attract new global capital pools to Spain.
Thomas Wellauer, Chairman of SIX, commented:
Thomas Wellauer
The combination of BME and SIX will create a stronger, more diversified group with an enlarged global footprint and a unique capacity to respond to the increasingly sophisticated demands of clients. Today, SIX and BME embark on a new phase of growth that will deliver new opportunities with immediate benefits to the stakeholders of both companies and the wider economies in which they operate.
Jos Dijsselhof, CEO of SIX, said:
SIX is committed to preserving and strengthening BME’s position in Spain. The combined group will create innovation hubs in Spain and attract new pools of capital to the Spanish market. We look forward to fulfilling the various commitments we have made to the Spanish authorities ahead of the integration process, which we aim to begin as soon as possible.
