Gide has advised BioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Suzhou Hybiome Biomedical Engineering Co., Ltd.

As part of the deal, the French listed company (Euronext Paris: BIM) acquired 54% of the shares in Hybiome for a valuation of EUR 165 million, as well as additional assets such as distribution rights and existing installed base for EUR 25 million. It had already purchased a minority stake in the Suzhou-based company earlier this year in July, a transaction on which Gide also advised.

We have advised Thought Machine, a UK-based fintech company, on its strategic partnership with Lloyds Banking Group (Lloyds), and Lloyds' participation in Thought Machine's £18m Series A round financing.

Thought Machine's core product, Vault, is a next generation cloud native core banking platform which has been written from scratch. Lloyds has been working with Thought Machine to develop the capabilities of Vault since 2017, and will enter into a development and deployment phase in 2019.

Hogan Lovells represented Edenred, a world leader in transactional solutions, in its recently announced agreement to acquire Corporate Spending Innovations (CSI), one of the leading North American providers of corporate payment solutions. The US$600 million deal will enable Edenred to step up its development in the fast-growing corporate payment segment, enhance its digital payment technology platform, and significantly increase its North American presence.

Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie has advised longstanding client Dyson Limited in successfully challenging the European Union rules on energy labelling for vacuum cleaners. The ruling by the European General Court was announced today.

EU labelling requirements mandated that vacuum cleaners be tested when empty, so flattering bagged cleaners that lose suction as dust and dirt clogs the machine. This is unfairly masking Dyson’s famous cyclonic technology that retained suction no matter how full the receptacle.

Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie has advised the Bitfury Group, the world's leading full-service blockchain technology company, on its USD $ 80 million private placement with global institutions and corporate investors.

The deal, announced today, will enhance Bitfury's strong growth plans and confirms the company's continued strength as a leading full-service blockchain company.

The Baker McKenzie team was led by London Corporate Partner Jannan Crozier, together with Senior Associate David Hart and Associate Dewi Evans.