The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has concluded its review of the LSEG takeover of Refinitiv under Section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 and has determined that there are no unresolved national security concerns with respect to the Transaction.

While LSEG aims to close the transaction in the second half of 2020, it still needs to obtain the remaining antitrust and regulatory clearances. This includes working with the European Commission and other relevant regulators. The timing of the acquisition may be impacted following the European Commission’s statement of Friday 13 March 2020 in relation to its special measures related to COVID-19 and encouraging the delay of merger filings.

The $27bn acquisition was announced in August last year. Upon completion Blackstone and Thomson Reuters will hold 37% interest in LSEG.