Public voting for Deal of the Year received over 280 votes at the Mergermarket European M&A Awards on 27 November at the Natural History Museum. Check out the shortlist and winner below:

1. KKR’s acquisition of FiberCop 

KKR completed the acquisition of FiberCop, Italy's largest open-access fiber network infrastructure company, creating the most extensive broadband network in Italy. The transaction, valued at €21.7 billion, required approval from the European Commission's merger control authority to consolidate Italy’s telecommunications infrastructure.  

The deal involved KKR acquiring a majority stake in FiberCop, which was previously partly owned by Telecom Italia and Fastweb. This strategic acquisition aimed to accelerate fiber network deployment across Italy and support the country's digital infrastructure modernisation.

The transaction was valued at €21.7bn and completed in July 2024.
 
2. The take-private of Adevinta by a consortium of investors led by Blackstone and Permira - WINNER

A consortium of private equity firms led by Blackstone and Permira proposed a voluntary offer to acquire all Adevinta’s ordinary shares for NOK 115 per share, delisting Adevinta from the Oslo Stock Exchange.

The deal for the Norwegian online marketplace group represents the largest European take-private this year. It was supported by some of Adevinta’s largest shareholders, including eBay, Permira and Schibsted, allowing the consortium to delist the target during June.

The offer for Adevinta received regulatory approval from the European Commission and completed in May 2024 for NOK 164bn (€14bn).
 
3. Harbour Energy’s acquisition of Wintershall Dea 

London-listed Harbour Energy, a UK-based oil and gas company, completed its acquisition of the Wintershall Dea asset portfolio this year. Wintershall Dea’s shareholders, BASF and LetterOne, agreed to a business combination agreement to transfer all of the German oil and gas producer’s E&P businesses, consisting of its production and development assets and exploration rights in Norway, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Demark, as well as its carbon storage licenses, to Harbour Energy.  

Harbour expects the acquisition to make it one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse independent oil and gas companies.  

The deal completed in September 2024 for $11bn (€10bn) including debt.
 
4. Swisscom’s acquisition of Vodafone Italia

Announcing its plans in February 2024, Swisscom’s acquisition of Vodafone Italia will combine Vodafone Italia’s mobile network with Swisscom’s Fastweb broadband network to create Italy’s second-largest telecoms provider. Swisscom overcame a number of regulatory hurdles to receive approval for the deal from the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in Italy and the Swiss Competition Commission.  

The transaction is still subject to two other regulatory approvals, including that of the Italian Competition Authority, and is due to undergo an in-depth investigation under Italy’s merger control rules.

In line with the announcement dated 15 March 2024, Swisscom expects the transaction to be completed in the first quarter of 2025, valued at €8bn.