Jean Comte

Brussels

Senior Reporter at MLex Market Insight

Senior reporter with @mlexclusive. I like: lobbying tactics, tax transparency, financial regulation, transparency & accountability issues, EU budget, and beers

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Articles

Microsoft-OpenAI talks being monitored by EU merger watchdog

2 days ago | mlex.com | Jean Comte |Nicholas Hirst

By Jean Comte and Nicholas Hirst ( May 13, 2025, 10:32 GMT | Insight) -- Microsoft’s latest discussions with Open AI are on the radar of EU competition regulators, with top official Olivier Guersent saying they will check whether any developments require EU sign-off.
Bank mergers draw increasing interest from EU states, UniCredit CEO says

3 days ago | mlex.com | Jean Comte

By Jean Comte ( May 12, 2025, 11:43 GMT | Insight) -- Governments throughout the EU are looking more closely at M&A activity in the banking sector — and are taking a greater role in it — the CEO of UniCredit said on an analyst call today.
Mediobanca counts on its Banca Generali bid to fend off MPS’s hostile takeover

6 days ago | mlex.com | Jean Comte

By Jean Comte ( May 9, 2025, 12:08 GMT | Insight) -- Italian bank Mediobanca said today that its bid for Banca Generali will make it a less interesting target for Monte dei Paschi di Siena's hostile bid, as it would reinforce the lack of synergies between MPS and Mediobanca.
Portuguese competition authority to keep focusing on pricing algorithms

1 week ago | mlex.com | Jean Comte

By Jean Comte ( May 8, 2025, 12:19 GMT | Insight) -- The Portuguese competition authority will keep monitoring elaborated pricing algorithms, such as self-learning ones, its chair told a conference today. The body is in particular looking into the possibility of pricing algorithms reaching collusion equilibrium on their own.The Portuguese competition authority will keep monitoring for any signs of collusion using pricing algorithms, its chair said at a conference* in Scotland today....
Luxair goes to EU court to challenge Lufthansa, ITA deal

1 week ago | mlex.com | Lewis Crofts |Jean Comte

By Lewis Crofts and Jean Comte ( May 5, 2025, 07:25 GMT | Insight) -- Luxembourgish flag carrier Luxair has filed a lawsuit against the EU Commission’s decision to approve Lufthansa’s acquisition of ITA last July, MLex has learned.
Bottle maker O-I Glass discloses antitrust probe in France

1 week ago | mlex.com | Lewis Crofts |Jean Comte

By Lewis Crofts and Jean Comte ( May 2, 2025, 11:47 GMT | Insight) -- US bottle maker O-I glass has said in a regulatory filing it is being investigated by authorities in France and in Ecuador over "alleged anticompetitive conduct." The French competition authority said in March that it had conducted several dawn raids in the sector for the manufacture and sales of glass packaging.US bottle maker O-I glass has said it is being investigated by authorities in France over "alleged...
ByteDance buyout of Vietnamese payment service IO Media reported by EU watchdog

1 week ago | mlex.com | Jean Comte

By Jean Comte ( May 2, 2025, 10:22 GMT | Insight) -- TikTok owner ByteDance told the EU merger regulator late last year of a plans to buy 100 percent of the share capital of IO Media, an intermediary payment services provider active in Vietnam, according to a European Commission update.
EU team watching public-procurement foreign subsidies set to get dedicated unit

2 weeks ago | mlex.com | Jean Comte

By Jean Comte ( April 30, 2025, 12:49 GMT | Insight) -- The European Commission team scrutinizing foreign subsidies in public procurement will get a dedicated unit from tomorrow, as part of a reshuffle of the Directorate-General for single market.
BNP aims for quick closing of AXA IM deal

2 weeks ago | mlex.com | Jean Comte

By Jean Comte ( April 28, 2025, 16:36 GMT | Insight) -- The European Commission cleared today the intended acquisition of Axa's asset management arm by French bank BNP Paribas. The bank had said last week that it foresees closing the deal in July, despite a decision from the European Central Bank that will make it more costly.BNP's intended acquisition of AXA's Investment Manager, or AXA IM, was cleared today by the European Commission....
EU chair wants deal exempting securities financing transactions from T+1

3 weeks ago | mlex.com | Sofia Gerace |Fanny Roux |Helena Freitas |Jean Comte

By Sofia Gerace, Fanny Roux, Helena Freitas and Jean Comte ( April 22, 2025, 15:48 GMT | Insight) -- EU member states are set to consider exempting securities financing transactions from the bloc's move to T+1, according to an initial proposal seen by MLex. The proposal was submitted to member states by Poland, which currently chairs discussions between EU governments.