Moneygram, money transfer

A Moneygram logo is seen outside a bank in Vienna, Austria. Source: Reuters

Pressured by Euronet, Ant Financial amps up bid for Moneygram

By | 17 April, 2017

CHINA’S Ant Financial has raised its offer for electronic payment firm MoneyGram International Inc. in a deal unanimously approved by the US firm’s board, outbidding rival Euronet Worldwide Inc.

Ant, the finance affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., increased its offer to US$18 per share in cash from US$13.25, and the transaction is valued at around US$1.2 billion, a statement by Ant and MoneyGram said.

A successful deal would be the Ant’s first major step to expand its business overseas. Ant, valued at around US$60 billion, is also planning an initial public offering.

“MoneyGram … will add valuable cross-border remittance capabilities to the Ant Financial ecosystem, serving our more than 630 million users globally,” Ant Financial International president Doug Feagin said in the statement.

The two firms said they had made progress toward obtaining the regulatory approvals necessary to complete the transaction, including winning US anti-trust clearance.

SEE ALSO: Euronet throws Ant Financial-MoneyGram merger into uncertainty with $1bn bid

The deal will also be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS), a US inter-agency panel that looks at foreign acquisitions for national security risks.

The committee has been a stumbling block for several Chinese deals in the US and is considered a big hurdle for Ant Financial.

A Euronet deal is likely to be more agreeable to US policymakers amid rising tensions between China and the US over trade and foreign policy. – Reuters



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