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☆ Larry Fink's big bet: BlackRock is planning to power the AI revolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink discussed the firm's acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners Friday. The billionaire stressed how much energy AI needs and the infrastructure needed to support it. The $10.5 trillion manager expects the $12.5 billion deal to close in the third quarter. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink wants to be his firm to be the foundation. Now, the next "transformational" moment for BlackRock will be building the necessary foundation for other companies to transform their businesses.

Persons: Larry Fink, Fink Organizations: BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, Barclays, Business

☆ Larry Fink is concerned about the youth. Here are 5 key takeaways from the BlackRock CEO's letter to investors.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Michelle Abrego | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fink, the chief executive of BlackRock, used his annual investor letter to warn of a looming "retirement crisis" facing the US and raise his concerns about disillusioned young people. This triggered criticisms on both sides of the aisle and became a major headache for Fink and the firm. He has avoided using the term ESG and repeatedly emphasized that BlackRock works with energy firms. Fink, who is 71 and has kept Wall Street guessing on his own retirement, also got personal with this letter. Fink is focused on "Energy pragmatism"The biggest opportunity in infrastructure, according to Fink, is around energy.

Persons: Larry Fink, Fink, . Fink, I've, Australia Fink Organizations: BlackRock, Business, DuPont, Cal Northridge, University of Michigan, Gen, Global Infrastructure Partners, Texas Permanent School Fund Locations: Calpers, Ottoman Empire, Australia, BlackRock, decarbonization

☆ BlackRock loses top infrastructure investor to Manulife amid executive shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Valentine Andrews, 52, will report to Lorentz and lead the firm's "next era of private markets growth," he wrote. She will remain in New York City, where Manulife's private equity and private credit teams are based. Valentine Andrews joined BlackRock in 2014 from Morgan Stanley, where she spent seven years and helped establish the firm's infrastructure-investing platform. She previously worked at Macquarie Bank, the firm known for its infrastructure investments, in Melbourne and New York. "I like to think about living life in chapters," Valentine Andrews wrote in a post on LinkedIn last month.

Persons: CQS, Anne Valentine Andrews, Paul Lorentz, Valentine Andrews, Lorentz, Angelo Gordon, Nuveen, BlackRock, Edwin Conway, Salim Ramji, Vipon, Brian Kernohan, Marc Feliciano, Morgan Stanley Organizations: Manulife Investment Management, Business, BlackRock, Manulife, Investment, Global Infrastructure Partners, TPG, Macquarie Bank, LinkedIn Locations: Toronto, Massachusetts, Manulife, New York City, Melbourne, New York

☆ What Wall Street bosses from Goldman Sachs to JPMorgan are saying about the jobs outlook for 2024 in investment banking, wealth management, and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | Alex Morrell | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Last year, banks opened 2023 by forecasting layoffs, including for the investment bankers who suddenly had nothing to do following the pandemic-era M&A and IPO boom. Citigroup kicked off 2024 ominously, warning that it will lay off as many as 20,000 employees by 2026. The bank expects 2024 expenses to increase further to total $90 billion, up $2.8 billion from 2023, and much of that will be focused on hiring. CFO Barnum on Friday said the bank is gearing up for a "rebound in the investment banking wallet." Headcount declined 3% to 80,006 from 82,427, while compensation expenses rose to $24.5 billion from $23 billion.

Persons: It's, it's, Jane Fraser, Jeremy Barnum, JPMorgan Chase Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, Alex Wroblewski, JPMorgan's headcount, Barnum, Friday, Patrick T, Fallon, —, Fraser, Q, Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, BRENDAN MCDERMID, Goldman Sachs, Denis Coleman, Coleman, Goldman, Bank of America Brian Moynihan, Robert Galbraith, headcount, BofA, Alastair Borthwick, execs, they've, Brian Moynihan, Wells Fargo Charles Scharf, Lucy Nicholson Wells Fargo, Michael Santomassimo, Charlie Scharf, Santomassimo, BlackRock Larry Fink, Fink, Kapito, Morgan Stanley Ted Pick, Morgan Stanley, Jeenah, Headcount, Morgan, Ted Pick, Sharon Yeshaya, Blackstone Steven Schwarzman, Blackstone, Gonzalo Fuentes Organizations: Business, Citigroup, JPMorgan, Citi, BlackRock, Blackstone, Getty, AlphaSense, Citigroup Citigroup, Bank of America, REUTERS, Robert, Robert Galbraith Bank of America's, Reuters, AP BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners Locations: Wall, headcount, Wells Fargo

☆ Larry Fink just kicked off the last chapter of his BlackRock reign
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Michelle Abrego | Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This all comes as Larry Fink, 71, is entering what is likely the last chapter of a successful career as cofounder and chief executive of $10 trillion BlackRock. Here's everything you need to know:BlackRock is set to buy Global Infrastructure Partners in its biggest deal in 15 yearsThroughout 2023, Fink signaled that a "transformational deal" was on the cards. He found his target in private equity firm and infrastructure investor Global Infrastructure Partners, the firm announced on Friday. Jessica Tan, head of BlackRocks' sustainability and transitions strategy, will head the global product solutions team in the Americas. Charles Hatami, global head of the financial and strategic investor group that focuses on relationships with large investors like insurers and sovereign wealth funds, will join BlackRock's global executive committee.

Persons: Larry Fink, Fink, Rob Kapito, BlackRock iShares, GIP, Kapito, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, David Solomon's, Ogunlesi, Wells, Mike Mayo, Larry, Stephen Cohen, Salim Ramji, Jessica Tan, Jane Sloan, GIP's, Edwin Conway, Conway, Rachel Lord, Lord, Charles Hatami Organizations: Business, BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, GIP, London Gatwick, Wall Street, Asia Pacific, Securities, Exchange Commission Locations: Sydney, Bayo, Ogunlesi, BlackRock, Americas, Europe, East, India, Asia, Pacific

Now the company plans to go big on the business of investing in airports, bridges, oil pipelines and more. Alongside announcing its quarterly earnings, the firm said on Friday that it would acquire Global Infrastructure Partners for about $12.5 billion in cash and stock. The deal is BlackRock’s biggest takeover since 2009, when it bought Barclays Global Investors for $13.5 billion and became the world’s biggest provider of index funds. It’s a major bet by BlackRock on infrastructure, in which financial firms invest in, or take over and run, assets like tunnels, highways, and oil and gas networks. “Policymakers are only just beginning to implement once-in-a-generation financial incentives for new infrastructure technologies and projects,” Larry Fink, BlackRock’s chairman and C.E.O., said in a statement.

Persons: ” Larry Fink Organizations: Global Infrastructure Partners, Barclays Global Investors, BlackRock Locations: BlackRock, It’s

Even including the sale of Heathrow, this year is the slowest for airport transactions in the past decade, totalling $5.9 billion globally to date, according to Dealogic data. They have hired Mediobanca (MDBI.MI) and Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) to find a buyer for a sale of their 49% stake in the company, the people said. Heathrow's sale valued the airport at 14.3 times EBITDA, according to JP Morgan analysis published on Wednesday. UK's Esken (ESKN.L), owner of regional Southend Airport, said in June it had started a process for the sale of the airport. On Thursday, Hungary's state-owned Corvinus and Vinci Airports notified the European Commission of a proposed joint takeover of Budapest's airport, according to a document posted on the EU website.

Persons: Andras Kranicz, GIP, Australia's Macquarie, Spain's, Ferrovial, Agata Lyznik, Mediobanca, Gianni, Origoni, Nico Torrisi, Morgan, UK's, France's Vinci, Vinci, Corvinus, Emma, Victoria Farr, Andres Gonzalez, Elisa Anzolin, Joanna Plucinska, Mathieu Rosemain, Anousha Sakoui, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: LONDON, Heathrow, BNP, Global Infrastructure Partners, AGS Airports, Southampton, Australia's, International, ACI, Airports, Macquarie, Credit Agricole Assurance, 2i, Credit, SAC, Gatwick, Southend Airport, Global Infrastructure Fund, Vinci Airports, European Commission, EU, Thomson Locations: Edinburgh, Italy, FRANKFURT, Spanish, Europe, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Heathrow, France, Hungary's, Budapest's

☆ TC Energy to sell 40% in Columbia gas transmission systems for $4 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 24 (Reuters) - Canada's TC Energy (TRP.TO), best known for its Keystone oil pipeline, will divest a 40% interest in its Columbia Gas Transmission and Columbia Gulf Transmission pipelines for C$5.2 billion ($3.95 billion) to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). TC was on course to deliver on its target to divest C$5 billion of assets by the end of the year, CEO François Poirier said in April. Columbia Gas and Columbia Gulf will be held in a new joint venture partnership and TC will remain the operator under the deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter. The pipelines span more than 15,000 miles and deliver a substantial portion of daily U.S. natural gas demand, including about 20% of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export supply, according to TC Energy. ($1 = 1.3180 Canadian dollars)Reporting by Arshreet Singh; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: François Poirier, TotalEnergies, Arshreet Singh, Shounak Dasgupta, Sriraj Organizations: Canada's TC Energy, Keystone, Columbia, Transmission, Global Infrastructure Partners, TC, Columbia Gas, GIP, TC Energy, Thomson Locations: The Calgary , Alberta, British Columbia, U.S, Rio Grande

☆ Ex-BofA No. 2 Tom Montag said to be in line to join Goldman Sachs board
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jeffrey Cane | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Goldman Sachs board plans to tap Tom Montag to join, Bloomberg reports. Now, he is said to be in line to join the board of Goldman Sachs as its CEO, David Solomon, faces scrutiny over his leadership. Still, Bloomberg notes, Montag would be the first bank executive named to the board under Solomon, who became CEO of the bank in 2018. Solomon's hobby as a DJ and his use of the firm's private jets have also rubbed some Goldman insiders the wrong way. At Goldman, Montag was big in JapanMontag bleeds Goldman blue.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Tom Montag, Montag, David Solomon, Solomon, —, Sridhar Natarajan, Katherine Doherty, Goldman, David Viniar, Goldman's, Adebayo, Ogunlesi, Insider's Dakin Campbell, Japan Montag, Merrill Lynch, Insider's Alex Morrell, Charming, Kate Kelly, BofA Organizations: Bloomberg, of, Morning, Bank of America's, Goldman, Credit Suisse, Global Infrastructure Partners, Reuters, Bank of America, Bank America, The New York Times, Times, Private, TPG, Street Journal Locations: Japan

Ardian, which is the second largest shareholder in INWIT behind European tower company Vantage Towers AG (VTWRn.DE), wants to take INWIT private and is working with advisers at JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) on a potential offer, the people said. Deutsche Telekom last year sold 51% of its tower business Funkturm to a consortium of Canada's Brookfield and U.S. private equity firm DigitalBridge. Any offer for INWIT could take months to materialise as preparations remain at a preliminary stage, one of the people said. The sources cautioned that an offer is not certain and asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. Ardian, Vantage Towers, INWIT and JPMorgan declined to comment.

The move comes as global infrastructure funds are pouring huge sums of money to acquire capital-intensive telecom infrastructure assets in Southeast Asia, seeing strong growth opportunities. The sources said discussions are taking place for a minority stake to be sold in the decade-old Edotco, which is 63% owned by Axiata. However, three of the sources said there was a possibility that Axiata could even consider giving majority control in order to secure a deal. The sources said the bulk of the proceeds from the share sales will likely fund Edotco's business expansion. While broader dealmaking activity has fallen sharply over the past year due to weak equity markets and rising interest rates, telecom tower assets have been a bright spot.

☆ Private-Equity Firms Snap Up Data Centers as Cloud Demand Soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Private-equity firms bought data centers in near-record numbers last year, defying a broad deal-making slowdown in a bid to capture ever-growing demand for data storage and cloud computing. Data centers are warehouse-sized facilities that lease space in networks of computer servers to customers ranging from individual businesses to giant cloud-computing providers. As the underlying infrastructure for cloud-based digital tools, data centers support everything from video streaming and online gaming to workplace and remote work enterprise software, 5G networks and Internet-of-Things systems. In December, DigitalBridge Group Inc., a Boca Raton, Fla., private-equity firm, and investment services firm IFM Investors closed an $11 billion acquisition of Dallas-based data-center operator Switch Inc. “Large private-equity investors are clearly attracted to the continued robust take-up of data-center space by large hyperscale and social-media companies,” Mr. Lynch said.

☆ KKR can limit the pain of Elliott's telco blitz
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Even so, KKR and Vodafone look insulated from the worst sort of Teutonic deal pain. Still, KKR – which has joined forces with Global Infrastructure Partners and will co-control Vantage with Vodafone – has some protections. Reuters GraphicsFollow @pamela_msg on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSActivist investor Elliott Management disclosed a 5.6% stake in German phone masts company Vantage Towers on Jan. 31. The offer was recommended by Vantage Towers' management and supervisory board. Vantage Towers’ Chief Executive Vivek Badrinath is set to depart due to personal reasons.

CDP is seeking to finalise its bid after U.S. investment firm KKR (KKR.N) last week filed its own offer for the same Telecom Italia (TIM) asset. Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters KKR's approach valued the venture at about 20 billion euros ($21.4 billion). Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeatedly said her government wants to secure public control of TIM's network. But there is no common ground yet within her administration on how to reach such a goal and it was no clear whether a CDP bid would receive the blessing of the Treasury. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti believes Rome has "multiple options" to put TIM's network under strategic government control, a separate source said, without elaborating.

☆ Evercore Promotes U.S. Advisory Executive to CFO Role
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Tim LaLonde, Evercore’s next CFO. Photo: Evercore Inc. As CFO, Mr. LaLonde is set to succeed Celeste Mellet, who plans to leave the firm in early February, Evercore said. Fund manager Global Infrastructure Partners said it hired Ms. Mellet as a partner and CFO. Ms. Mellet has been Evercore’s CFO since 2021. PREVIEW Evercore underwent a major leadership shift in 2021, when it named Mr. Weinberg as its sole chief executive.

SummarySummary Companies Government met TIM's key shareholders CDP, Vivendi on ThursdayWants to spin off Sparkle, put it under state controlSparkle manages fibre cables that stretch over 500,000 kmROME, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Italy's government wants to bring Telecom Italia's (TLIT.MI) (TIM) submarine cable unit Sparkle into state hands, three sources close to the matter told Reuters. The plan emerged after the government on Thursday started talks with leading TIM investors Vivendi (VIV.PA) and state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) to identify "the best market-friendly options" for the phone group. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration aims to secure control of TIM's landline grid, an asset deemed of strategic importance, to create a wholesale-only broadband player. But the sources added that Rome also wants a spin-off of Sparkle, given the sensitivity of the data it carries, in order to put the unit into state hands. The sources said there would at least be three more government-sponsored meetings with TIM's stakeholders, with one scheduled for Dec. 20.

☆ Atlantia set to be delisted as buyout bid reaches 90% threshold
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A buyout offer launched by the Benetton family and U.S. investment fund Blackstone (BX.N) for Italy's Atlantia (ATL.MI) has reached the 90% threshold for the deal to proceed and trigger the company's delisting, the bidders said on Thursday. The bid initially failed to reach the threshold but was then reopened for another five days and closes on Friday. The bidders' vehicle named Schema Alfa said in a statement the planned delisting would happen "as soon as possible in the following weeks". The enterprise value of the deal was around 54 billion euros ($56.32 billion) based on Atlantia's debt level at the end of last year. Atlantia shares closed at 22.95 euros on Wednesday, just below the 23 euros per share Schema Alfa is offering to pay.

☆ Microsoft, Meta and others face rising drought risk to their data centers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Data centers generate massive amounts of heat through their servers because of the enormous amount of power they use. "These data centers are set up to operate 20 years, so what is it going to look like in 2040 here, right?" We changed our design to go to zero consumption water, so that we didn't have that sort of risk," said Myers. While companies with their own data centers can do that, so-called co-location data centers that lease to multiple clients are increasingly being bought by private equity firms in search of high-growth real estate. There are currently about ,1800 co-location data centers in the U.S., and that number is growing, as data centers are some of the hottest real estate around, offering big returns to investors.

☆ Global Infrastructure Partners in talks over MSC investment in train operator Italo, papers report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Oct 15 (Reuters) - U.S.-based Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is in exploratory talks with Italian shipping group MSC for a possible investment in GIP's railway operator Italo, two Italian newspapers reported on Saturday. An MSC spokesperson said the company did not comment on media speculation, while GIP did not immediately reply to an email request for comment. The deal would value Italo at 4 billion euros excluding debt, the paper said. A potential deal could see Italo expand in the freight transport sector, but the feasibility and growth potential of such an endeavour was still being analysed, the papers added. ($1 = 1.0289 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Agnieszka Flak; editing by Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The likely purchase of the new asset and the $3 billion valuation of the toll road business has not been reported previously. Representatives from Road King did not respond to requests for comment. CVC and Road King's attempts to monetise the toll road business comes at a time of growing global investor interest for infrastructure assets, driven by sovereign, pension and private equity funds chasing long-term returns. Road King, a Chinese property developer, has operated expressways in the country since nearly three decades. It diversified into the Indonesian toll road business in 2019 and its expressways in China and Indonesia span over 600 kilometres in total, according to the company's website.

One of the sources said the bid could be announced before Saturday, as the two partners rush for taking the Italian infrastructure group private after an unsolicited approach by a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Brookfield. Benettons' holding company Edizione, which controls Atlantia with a 33% stake, and Blackstone are expected to set up a new company that will launch the offer for the infrastructure group, the sources said. In March, GIP, Brookfield and Spain's ACS (ACS.MC) approached the Benettons with a proposal to buy the infrastructure group, they said last week. "Edizione and Blackstone are not currently discussing any plan to involve GIP and Brookfield in their bid," one of the sources said. CRT declined to comment; GIC, Global Infrastructure Partners and Brookfield was not immediately available to comment.

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