LSEG in talks to buy Permira's Octus financial data group for about $3.5 billion. Posted on October 13, 2026 · Last updated: October 13, 2026 LSEG eyes $3.5 billion acquisition of Permira's Octus financial data group. London Stock Exchange Group in talks to acquire Octus. By Amy-Jo Crowley Acquisition discussions and market impact. LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange Group is in talks with private equity firm Permira to acquire Octus for about $3.5 billion, the London-listed group said Tuesday, confirming a Reuters report. No final agreement has been reached and no transaction is guaranteed, LSEG said, adding that the New York-headquartered financial data group has a strong track record of double-digit revenue growth based on a high-retention subscription model. LSEG shares, which had dipped more than 2% on the Reuters report earlier on Tuesday, extended losses to fall 4.7% by 1342 GMT. Strategic fit and revenue growth. "Octus' coverage and solutions are highly complementary to LSEG's existing fixed income data & analytics and private markets solutions," LSEG said, adding that a deal would be immediately accretive to LSEG's Data & Analytics and group revenue growth. Permira's involvement and Octus background. Permira's acquisition and sale plans. PERMIRA BOUGHT CONTROLLING STAKE IN OCTUS IN 2022 London-based Permira is working with advisers to evaluate interest in Octus, two people with knowledge of the situation said. Permira declined to comment. The private equity firm, which has been planning a sale of Octus since last year, has also held talks with other potential buyers, one of the people said. It acquired a controlling stake in Octus at a valuation of $1.3 billion from Warburg Pincus in 2022. Octus's business model and market position. Octus provides information on credit markets, with a focus on companies in financial distress, for banks and investors. It employs journalists, analysts and legal experts, using technology to scour regulatory and court filings. Trends in Data Analytics sector. A potential Octus transaction, if it went ahead, would mark a further uptick in dealmaking in the data analytics sector, despite a selloff in listed stocks earlier this year. YipitData, backed by investors including Carlyle Group, is exploring a sale that could value the data analytics provider at more than $2.5 billion, while Vista Equity Partners is exploring a sale of private markets data provider Allvue. LSEG's strategic context. Pressure from activist investors. LSEG has been under pressure to improve its performance from activist investor Elliott Management, which disclosed a stake in the exchange operator in February. Relationship with Reuters. LSEG is the largest customer of Reuters, which provides news for its Workspace news and data platform and other products. (Reporting by Amy-Jo Crowley in London; Additional reporting by Milana Vinn in New York and Tommy Reggiori Wilkes in London; Editing by Anousha Sakoui, Elisa Martinuzzi, Alexander Smith and Jan Harvey) Key takeaways. * LSEG confirmed discussions with Permira to purchase Octus for approximately $3.5 billion, but emphasized no deal is guaranteed yet. (investegate.co.uk) * Octus, based in New York, specializes in credit market intelligence - especially for distressed companies - and uses a subscription model with analytics, journalism, and legal expertise. (investegate.co.uk) * The acquisition would immediately boost LSEG's Data & Analytics division and overall group revenue, as Octus complements its fixed-income and private markets capabilities. (investegate.co.uk) * Permira acquired a controlling stake in Octus in August 2022 from Warburg Pincus - though exact valuation at that time isn't publicly detailed, it's estimated well below the current $3.5 billion possible deal. (mergr.com) * The move underscores ongoing high valuations for specialist data analytics firms - comparable deals include YipitData exploring a sale over $2.5 billion. (peinsights.substack.com) References. Frequently asked questions. Who is in talks to acquire Octus? How much is Octus valued at in the proposed deal? What does Octus specialize in? When did Permira acquire its stake in Octus? How would an Octus acquisition impact LSEG?

LSEG and CMC Markets sign multi-year strategic data agreement. LSEG and CMC Markets have announced a multi-year strategic data agreement that expands CMC's access to LSEG's financial data, news and analytics. The agreement strengthens the data infrastructure underpinning CMC's multi-asset offering, providing broader access to real-time and delayed pricing, reference and corporate actions data, news and analytical content. According to the companies, the partnership will support greater consistency and scalability as CMC develops new products, enters new markets and grows its institutional and B2B partnerships. Chris Coleman, Group Head of Sales and Account Management, LSEG said: "We're pleased to deepen our relationship with CMC Markets, an important and valued client of LSEG. By combining broad financial data and analytics with flexible access and specialist expertise, we can support CMC as it scales its business, develops new client propositions and pursues future innovation." Lord Peter Cruddas, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CMC Markets said: "As CMC continues to grow and diversify, having the right data and technology behind the business is critical to how quickly and effectively we can scale. LSEG is an important strategic partner, and broader access to trusted financial data will help us move faster and strengthen the experience we deliver to clients. We've always invested in technology and partnerships to drive CMC forward. This agreement is another important step, giving us greater capability as we enter the next phase of our growth."

Ex-U.S. defense secretary Esper: No end in sight for the Iran war. By Alejandra García - October 8, 2026 President Donald Trump listens to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper address the daily White House coronavirus response briefing with members of the administration's coronavirus task force at the White House in Washington, March 18, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The U.S.-Iran war could drag on for years, putting America at risk of overlooking China's rise to power, according to President Donald Trump's former defense secretary. During a panel discussion at LSEG and Eurasia Group's GZERO Summit in London, Mark Esper said on Thursday he saw the conflict continuing "well into 2027," with a possibility that it could be handed to the next U.S. administration in three years' time. "At some point, we will reach a point where maybe both sides are willing to come to the table and find a negotiated settlement, but the challenge for president Trump will be he's going to have to get a deal that returns the Strait of Hormuz to the status quo, which is going to be really hard, and is a deal that's better than what [former President Barack Obama] got out of the JCPOA, and I think that's going to be very difficult too," he said. "So the question is, will he be willing to make that deal and live with the consequences or how the critics judge that deal? And so you can see another path where it gets handed off to the next administration in 2029." Speaking to CNBC on the sidelines of the event, Esper said he does not see an end to the war "in the foreseeable future." Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) servicemen stand in front of an Iranian national flag at Iran's first military training base for "self-sacrificing" forces in southern Tehran, Iran, on September 24, 2026. "I think it continues at this type of pace where we see the American blockade continue, we see occasional outbursts from either side, and it drags along," he said. The war, now in its eighth month, has reached an impasse, with Trump saying Wednesday that making a deal with Tehran "isn't really something that I want to do." According to reports, U.S. officials are considering a resumption of large-scale military operations in the coming weeks. Esper, who served as U.S. Secretary of Defense during Trump's first presidential term from July 2019 to November 2020, said he had long been an advocate for "the economic strangulation" of Iran. But he said such a policy was vulnerable to impatience in Washington. "The challenge is that policy requires time, discipline and patience, and those aren't things that the states are typically good at doing," he said. "So, if allowed to, I think it could have an impact. It doesn't mean it'll actually bring them back to the table, which would be my end, but it's the least worst option at this point in time." Over the summer, Trump announced an intensification of sanctions and economic restrictions on Iran, a strategy he labeled "Economic D-Day." The administration has since touted the success of its economic warfare strategies. A White House official told CNBC Thursday that the U.S. was in "a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing." "Iran has been decimated, and things will go one of two ways; the easy way or the hard way," they said. "President Trump will not be played by the Iranian regime," the official added. "The President is satisfied letting the inevitable Iranian collapse play out." Advantage China. But Esper warned Thursday that with attention in Washington focused on the Iran war, America's "greatest adversary" was building up its capabilities. "China is our greatest adversary," he said. "It's the lurking threat out there that we're not paying attention to because we're so focused, and have been for 20 plus years now, on the Middle East, and Europe is focused on Russia." Beijing, he said, was continuing to build economic, technological and diplomatic power, having executed "the largest military buildup in history." "We're just not paying enough attention to the Chinese," Esper told CNBC. "They've told us by 2049 they want to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and the world for all intents and purposes. They want to be able to call the shots and dictate global governance." China had been working to this end for at least 30 years, he said. "Certainly, since their entry into the WTO, they've used the world trading system against us to build their own economic and military power, and they have a game plan," Esper said. He highlighted Beijing's domination of certain industries and goods, such as electric vehicles, rare earths, solar panels and critical materials. This, he said, had been achieved thanks to the Chinese government's ability to "consolidate control" and direct the country's economy in a certain direction. "They have a game plan, and they're and they're executing it," Esper said. "I would focus our efforts on China, and I would do it in partnership with our European and Asian allies, and that would include not just military [alliances], but diplomatic, economic and technological as well." CNBC reached out to the Chinese government for comment. The new era of interactive journalism