Acting quickly was vital for Deutsche Bank to enable its private equity client to lower its holdings in a leading electrical supplier without unleashing sustained pressure on the share price.
Western Europe
Latest articles from France

BNP Paribas fixed-income business triumphs over euro adversity
November 1, 2012The eurozone is now on the mend, according to BNP Paribas’ Frederic Janbon, but the new regulatory landscape will continue to change the debt business, bringing opportunities as well as challenges.

Moelis comes good for Natixis's bad bank
September 3, 2012When Natixis sought to unwind its exposure to structured credit correlation and counterparty risks, it needed an independent adviser that could combine complex valuation skills with a merger and acquisition process. Moelis fitted the bill.
France takes a tax gamble on the markets
July 19, 2012The Financial Transaction Tax introduced by France in August is intended to deter speculative investor behaviour, but the execution looks likely to miss the target.

Markets veteran drives French evolution
July 2, 2012Christophe Mianné, the new deputy of Société Générale’s corporate and investment banking operation, is targeting a change in mindset as much as a change in structure.

SocGen's DCM team makes most of bank disintermediation trend
April 2, 2012Thus far, 2012 has witnessed a marked trend of corporates eschewing bank lending and turning instead to the debt capital markets. By acting quickly, the DCM team at SGCIB has put itself at the forefront of many of these deals.

Eiffarie motors on with APRR bond issue
January 3, 2012When the Macquarie and Eiffage consortium, Eiffarie, won a controlling stake in APRR, the highly leveraged French motorway company, Eiffarie knew it needed to gain quick access to the market to refinance APRR's loans. Eiffarie's team established a €6bn euro medium term note programme, and then in mid-November 2011 decided to return to the market with a €500m four-year deal to help repay its outstanding acquisition loan. The result defied even the most optimistic expectations.

Remaking the eurozone
January 3, 2012Keeping Greece in and allowing massive European Central Bank intervention are the best ingredients for saving the eurozone. But the case for common eurozone bonds is less clear.

Strong domestic network helps Crédit Agricole during crisis
October 3, 2011French giant Crédit Agricole has been buffeted by speculation surrounding the fate of the eurozone, but CEO Jean-Paul Chifflet explains how the right combination of international expansion and domestic branch network has kept the bank well positioned.
Sanofi Aventis defies global turmoil to close $20bn takeover of Genzyme
June 1, 2011The caution in the markets following the tsunami in Japan and unrest in north Africa provided an unpromising backdrop to French company Sanofi Aventis's $20bn takeover of US biotech firm Genzyme. However, the deal passed off as a resounding success.