M&A hungry ION Group snaps up £1bn Acuris

Dublin-based automated financial software and data developer ION Group is reported to be close to securing a £1 billion takeover of Acuris a specialist media and data company for the financial services sector.

Entering 2019, Acuris’ majority shareholder, London private equity firm BC Partners, announced that it would place its media asset up for auction.

Interest in Acuris has been widely reported, with the company detailed to have been pursued by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp media group, seeking to develop a financial data division.

Acuris’ financial media and data portfolio include the assets of  Debtwire, Mergermarket, Acuris Risk, and Wealthmonitor, covering core functions of financial services for debt monitoring, compliance, risk management and transactional (M&A) arrangements.

The reported £1 billion valuation of Acuris, represents a significant return on BC Partners original investment, having acquired the asset from financial publishing house Pearsons in 2013 for £380 million.

The transaction (yet to be confirmed), has caught the attention of European business news sources, as ION Group continues to build its financial data components through strategic M&A.

Branded as a ‘highly acquisitive’ organisation, ION Group has built its financial software services through M&A activities, acquiring assets such as Fidessa, Patsystems, Wall Street Systems, and Fastfill to develop its platforms.