Mergers and acquisitions

The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 0930 GMT on Wednesday:

** Australia's Perpetual ASX:PPT said it had rejected a non-binding takeover proposal from Swedish private equity firm EQT AB OMXSTO:EQT that values the financial services provider at A$2.45 billion ($1.69 billion).

** ING Spain EURONEXT:INGA is close to finalising the purchase of a 40% stake in Singular Bank as part of its plans to enter the Spanish private banking sector, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

** Australian grocer Coles Group ASX:COL said it is in talks to buy pet care firm Greencross Pet Wellness from U.S. private equity firm TPG.

** French biotech company Ipsen EURONEXT:IPN will buy Switzerland-based Memo Therapeutics to add potravitug, a Phase II clinical-stage antibody targeting BK polyomavirus, to its portfolio, the company said.

** French container shipping group CMA CGM is nearing a deal to buy FedEx's NYSE:FDX third-party logistics business for $1.4 billion in cash, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

** Getty Images NYSE:GETY said on Tuesday it has called off its planned merger with Shutterstock NYSE:SSTK due to the UK competition regulator's requirement to sell Shutterstock's editorial business as a condition for approval.

** World Insurance Associates acquired Mount Holly, New Jersey-based Clarke Insurance effective March 1, the second acquisition announced this week by the expansive broker.

** Schneider Electric EURONEXT:SU said on Tuesday it had signed an agreement to acquire Cognite Holding, a privately held provider of AI software and industrial data.

** Libya's OLA Energy Holdings signed an agreement to acquire TotalEnergies' EURONEXT:TTE assets in Ethiopia, the Tripoli-based Libyan government said.

** Shell LSE:SHEL agreed to sell its interest in the Na Kika platform and associated fields in the Gulf of America, along with the Coulomb tieback, to subsidiaries of Talos Energy NYSE:TALO and Ridgewood Energy (ZCFHCX.O) for $1.7 billion.

** Private equity firm KKR NYSE:KKR said it will buy the operations and assets of EDF's North American renewable energy unit in the U.S. and Canada for $4.2 billion.

** Australia's South32 ASX:S32 has agreed to sell most of its aluminium assets to Alcoa NYSE:AA for an implied enterprise value of up to $5.6 billion, as the diversified miner streamlines its business to focus on copper under a new CEO.