2nd quarter
April
4.4. – The cosmetics company L'Oréal acquires the Australian luxury brand Aesop for $2.5 billion.
5.4. – Deutsche Telekom crosses the majority threshold in its US subsidiary T-Mobile US.
5.4. – The yield on ten-year US treasuries marks its annual low of 3.29%.
12.4. – The High Court in London approves the debt plan negotiated by the Adler Group with a core group of bondholders. The struggling residential real estate company receives up to €937.5 million in new loans, and maturities are extended until mid-2025.
13.4. – Sweden undergoes a nuclear shift. The Scandinavian country originally planned to phase out nuclear energy, but the new government now wants to expand nuclear technology.
15.4. – The last three nuclear power plants in Germany are shut down.
18.4. – Telecommunications equipment supplier Ericsson intensifies cost-cutting measures. Chief Financial Officer Carl Mellander unexpectedly resigns.
18.4. – Karl von Rohr, head of retail banking, announces his withdrawal from Deutsche Bank. He dismisses the possibility of extending his contract.
18.4. – GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline) acquires the Canadian biotech company Bellus for $2 billion.
20.4. – In the cum-cum affair, Crédit Agricole reaches an agreement with the French state. According to Bloomberg, the bank pays €35 million in deferred taxes plus an undisclosed fine.
21.4. – The European Payment Initiative (EPI) launches a new attempt. It assumes ownership of the payment service providers iDeal and Payconiq, which were founded by the Belgian and Dutch financial sectors.
24.4. – Thyssenkrupp CEO Martina Merz resigns after three and a half years at the helm. Miguel Ángel López Borrego, joining from the automotive supplier Norma, is slated to take over the role.
24.4. – Men's fashion manufacturer Ahlers files for insolvency.
25.4. – Financial sources confirm that the heating manufacturer Viessmann is on the verge of being sold to Carrier Global. The €12 billion deal is completed the next day.
26.4. – Due to the total write-off of AT1 bonds in the Credit Suisse rescue, a wave of lawsuits is heading towards the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority Finma.
26.4. – Deutsche Bank streamlines its executive board. The bank takes advantage of the departure of its US chief, Christiane Riley, to Banco Santander, and the departure of the head of retail banking for a realignment of responsibilities. Stefan Simon takes on the additional responsibility for the US business in addition to his role as Chief Administrative Officer. Claudio de Sanctis takes over the management of retail banking.
26.4. – Housing company Vonovia sells nearly 30% of its subsidiary Südewo to US financial investor Apollo for €1 billion.
27.4. – Deutsche Bank acquires the British investment boutique Numis, marking its first major acquisition in years.
28.4. – Deutsche Börse announces the €3.9 billion acquisition of Danish data provider Simcorp.
28.4. – Chief Human Resources Officer Michael Ilgner leaves Deutsche Bank. The former professional athlete is said to have violated compliance rules.
May
1.5. – The Germany Ticket is introduced as a permanent successor to the €9 ticket.
2.5. – After failed negotiations with studios and platform operators, Hollywood screenwriters go on strike.
3.5. – Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler announces a confession.
8.5. – Pharmaceutical and life science company Merck surprisingly announces a change of CFO: Helene von Roeder, coming from real estate company Vonovia, replaces Marcus Kuhnert, who resigns.
10.5. – Software AG rejects the takeover offer from Bain Capital, although the financial investor offers more than Silver Lake.
17.5. – Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck places State Secretary Patrick Graichen into temporary retirement due to accusations of nepotism.
19.5. – Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman announces his resignation after 13 years in office. Ted Pick, formerly head of institutional securities, will take over at the turn of the year.
23.5. – Swiss investor Partners Group initiates the exit from meter reading service Techem.
23.5. – Supervisory approval is granted for the acquisition of Aareal Bank by the investor consortium led by Advent International and Centerbridge.
23.5. – Société Générale acquires Dutch leasing provider LeasePlan for €4.5 billion.
25.5. – Lufthansa reaches an agreement with the Italian government regarding the entry into ITA Airways.
25.5. – Due to high inflation, the German economy falls into a recession for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
25.5. – Nexi snatches payment service provider Computop from DZ Bank. The credit cooperatives initially intend to maintain the cooperation nonetheless.
26.5. – The German certificate market approaches the €100 billion mark for the first time in a decade.
27.5. – DWS, Allianz Global Investors, and Union Investment collaborate with French fund houses to secure approval for a European stock ticker inspired by the American model. They compete against European stock exchanges.
30.5. – Daimler Truck and Toyota announce collaboration in the development, procurement, and production of commercial vehicles.
30.5. – The Wiesbaden Regional Court sentences former tax lawyer and senior financial official Hanno Berger to eight years and three months in prison for his involvement in cum-ex transactions.
31.5. – Change of leadership at the head of Commerzbank's supervisory board. Former cooperative banker Helmut Gottschalk hands over to former Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann.
June
1.6. – Swiss private bank Pictet relocates its European headquarters from Luxembourg to Frankfurt.
6.6. – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sues cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
8.6. – Optician chain Fielmann announces two acquisitions in the US.
8.6. – France delists the re-nationalized electricity provider EDF (Electricité de France) from the stock exchange.
8.6. – After two decades, Brussels reforms the rules for the distance selling of financial services. In the future, the withdrawal button on the internet will be mandatory.
8.6. – Gero Bergmann, a member of the board of BayernLB, becomes the new president of the Association of German Pfandbrief Banks (VDP).
10.6. – UBS finalizes the contracts with the Swiss government for the acquisition of Credit Suisse. CEO Sergio Ermotti prepares employees for a drastic reduction in jobs.
12.6. – J.P. Morgan plans to reach a settlement with the victims of the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to insiders, the bank offers a total of $290 million. Deutsche Bank had previously paid $75 million.
14.6. – Vodafone announces the merger of its business in the home market with Three UK. The smaller rival belongs to CK Hutchison, the holding company of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing.
15.6. – Brenntag prevails in the general meeting against demands from shareholder activists. Both candidates for the supervisory board nominated by Brenntag are elected. Subsequently, the newly elected Richard Ridinger becomes chairman of the supervisory board.
15.6. – After a decade the credit cooperatives are reforming their institutional protection scheme. The security system will be more risk-based in the future.
19.6. – The world's largest aviation fair takes place in Le Bourget near Paris for the first time since the Covid-19 crisis.
19.6. – The federal government apparently plans to provide much more state support for the construction of the Intel chip factory in Magdeburg than originally planned. The US corporation is expected to receive nearly €10 billion.
20.6. – Embarrassment for Commerzbank: The candidate for the successor to Chief Risk Officer Markus Chromik, set to leave at year's end. fails the suitability test.
20.6. – First speculation about the takeover interest of oil company Adnoc from Abu Dhabi in Covestro. €55 per share is initially circulated as an indication.
20.6. – Bain Capital withdraws from the billion-dollar bidding war for Software AG, with Silver Lake emerging victorious.
21.6. – Lufthansa sells travel cost manager Airplus to SEB Kort Bank for €450 million.
22.6. – The Turkish central bank doubles its key interest rate to 15% in the fight against high inflation. The decision represents a turnaround in the previous monetary policy.
27.6. – British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt and EU Financial Commissioner Mairead McGuinness sign an agreement on voluntary regulatory cooperation in financial services.
27.6. – The European Parliament and the member states have fundamentally agreed on a banking package.
28.6. – The European Parliament and the European Council come to an agreement on the EU Data Act proposed by the European Commission.
29.6. – BASF opens a battery factory in Schwarzheide.
29.6. – A star banker for the supervisory board of Aareal Bank: The Unicredit restructurer Jean Pierre Mustier is expected to take over the chairmanship from Professor Hermann Wagner.
30.6. – The calculation of the manipulable reference interest rate Libor is discontinued. The transition to the successor Sofr poses challenges for major US banks.
