Reference is made to the joint press release by Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) and Gemalto (Euronext Amsterdam and Paris: GTO) dated 27 March 2018 in relation to the launch of the recommended all-cash offer by Thales for all the issued and outstanding shares of Gemalto (the “Offer”), the publication of the Offer Document, and the joint press release of Thales and Gemalto dated 10 August 2018 in relation to the further extension of the Acceptance Period. Terms not defined in this press release will have the meaning as set forth in the Offer Document.
Thales and Gemalto announce today that they have been granted merger control Regulatory Clearance by the European Commission, following Thales’s commitment to divest its general purpose hardware security modules (GP HSM) business globally[1] to a suitable purchaser. This clearance is effective immediately.
Together with the merger control clearances obtained in China, Israel, South Africa and Turkey, and clearances relating to foreign investments in Australia, Canada and the USA (CFIUS), Thales and Gemalto have now obtained 8 of the required 14 Regulatory Clearances.
Thales and Gemalto continue to work constructively with the competent antitrust authorities to obtain the remaining Regulatory Clearances in Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and in the United States. In addition, Thales and Gemalto are seeking Regulatory Clearance relating to foreign investments from the competent authority in Russia.
The transaction should close shortly after all of the Regulatory Clearances have been secured, which is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2019, as announced in the joint press release dated 11 October 2018.
Further announcements will be made if and when a Regulatory Clearance has been obtained or the Offer Condition with respect to Regulatory Clearances is satisfied, waived or has become incapable of being satisfied, or as otherwise required by applicable law. As announced on 10 August 2018, the Acceptance Period has been further extended by Thales in accordance with an exemption granted by the Dutch financial markets authority (AFM) and will end two weeks after the fulfilment of the Offer Condition with respect to Regulatory Clearances or the waiver thereof (but no later than the Long Stop Date).
[1] In 2017, Thales’s GP HSM business generated around 90 million euros in sales.
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About Thales
The people we all rely on to make the world go round – they rely on Thales. Our customers come to us with big ambitions: to make life better, to keep us safer.
Combining a unique diversity of expertise, talents and cultures, our architects design and deliver extraordinary high technology solutions. Solutions that make tomorrow possible, today. From the bottom of the oceans to the depth of space and cyberspace, we help our customers think smarter and act faster - mastering ever greater complexity and every decisive moment along the way.
With 65,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €15.8 billion in 2017.
About Gemalto
Gemalto is the global leader in digital security, with 2017 annual revenues of €3 billion and customers in over 180 countries. We bring trust to an increasingly connected world.
From secure software to biometrics and encryption, our technologies and services enable businesses and governments to authenticate identities and protect data so they stay safe and enable services in personal devices, connected objects, the cloud and in between.
Gemalto’s solutions are at the heart of modern life, from payment to enterprise security and the internet of things. We authenticate people, transactions and objects, encrypt data and create value for software – enabling our clients to deliver secure digital services for billions of individuals and things.
Our 15,000 employees operate out of 112 offices, 43 personalization and data centers, and 30 research and software development centers located in 48 countries.