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Markets Edge

Issued Friday, July 31, 2026 · 06:00 UTC Edition 8/day editions · 6 papers From the chopped neck Latest Issue Archive Corporate Accounts
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Ranked by the pour ISABELLA'S ISLAY HENRI IV MACALLAN 1926 LOUIS XIII PAPPY 23 JOHNNIE BLUE WELL POUR
Also crossing the wire
ISABELLA'S ISLAYEA's $55B Saudi-PE sale clears final regulatory hurdles this weekHENRI IVBlackRock consortium commits $5B more to Aligned Data Centers post-acquisitionMACALLAN 1926Water company Pentair bought Taco for $1.4B to serve AI data center demandLOUIS XIIITECfusions SPAC'd for $4B on back of North America's largest AMD AI clusterPAPPY 23Solid-state battery maker ProLogium SPACs for France gigawatt factoryJOHNNIE BLUEPrivate equity buyout wave spreads: utilities, RIAs, and Louisiana shopsWELL POURPrivate credit redemptions easing while direct lending activity falls sharplyISABELLA'S ISLAYEA's $55B Saudi-PE sale clears final regulatory hurdles this weekHENRI IVBlackRock consortium commits $5B more to Aligned Data Centers post-acquisitionMACALLAN 1926Water company Pentair bought Taco for $1.4B to serve AI data center demandLOUIS XIIITECfusions SPAC'd for $4B on back of North America's largest AMD AI clusterPAPPY 23Solid-state battery maker ProLogium SPACs for France gigawatt factoryJOHNNIE BLUEPrivate equity buyout wave spreads: utilities, RIAs, and Louisiana shopsWELL POURPrivate credit redemptions easing while direct lending activity falls sharply
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ISABELLA'S ISLAY M&A Intelligence Jul 31, 2:02 AM EDT
Electronic Arts
Kotaku ↗

EA's $55B Saudi-PE sale clears final regulatory hurdles this week

Electronic Arts announced that all regulatory approvals required for its expected sale to Saudi Arabia and multiple private equity groups have been obtained, with close expected next week.

ReadingStrategic assets now cross borders with state capital inside the structure. Board rooms noting which regulators moved fastest will remember this framework.
WatchWhich other US gaming or media asset gets the same treatment within 18 months. The filing pattern will matter more than the price.
Read full analysis → Original ↗
m&agamingsovereign wealthprivate equity
HENRI IV Capital Markets Jul 31, 2:02 AM EDT
BlackRock / MGX / Aligned Data Centers
MSN Money ↗

BlackRock consortium commits $5B more to Aligned Data Centers post-acquisition

A consortium backed by BlackRock and Abu Dhabi-based fund MGX committed an additional $5 billion in growth capital to Aligned Data Centers following the completion of its acquisition.

ReadingInstitutional capital has settled the data center thesis. The question now is who gets seated at the table when capital moves that fast.
WatchThe next two Aligned Data Centers announcements will be about facility count or MW capacity, not fundraising.
Read full analysis → Original ↗
capital marketsdata centersinfrastructureinstitutional
MACALLAN 1926 M&A Intelligence Jul 31, 2:02 AM EDT
Pentair PLC
MSN Money ↗

Water company Pentair bought Taco for $1.4B to serve AI data center demand

Water treatment company Pentair announced a $1.4 billion acquisition of Taco Group Holdings to expand its data center cooling business, announced alongside second-quarter results.

ReadingIndustrial + AI infrastructure is not a trend anymore. It is procurement policy for anyone planning a facility past 2026.
WatchWhich other legacy industrial firm announces a data center thermal or power acquisition in Q4 2026.
Read full analysis → Original ↗
m&aindustrialdata centersinfrastructure
LOUIS XIII Venture Intelligence Jul 31, 2:02 AM EDT
TECfusions
MSN Money ↗

TECfusions SPAC'd for $4B on back of North America's largest AMD AI cluster

U.S. data-center operator TECfusions plans to go public in a $4 billion SPAC deal with Apex Treasury, featuring one of the largest AMD-based AI training clusters in North America.

ReadingData center value has migrated from real estate to tenant concentration. The SPAC pricing reflects that shift.
WatchTECfusions' first earnings call as a public company will flag which AI training frameworks are stickiest to hardware.
Read full analysis → Original ↗
spacdata centersaiinfrastructure
PAPPY 23 Venture Intelligence Jul 31, 2:02 AM EDT
ProLogium
MSN Money ↗

Solid-state battery maker ProLogium SPACs for France gigawatt factory

ProLogium, a Taiwanese company with over a decade of solid-state battery development, signed a definitive merger agreement with a SPAC on May 27, 2026, to fund its first overseas gigawatt-scale plant in France.

ReadingSolid-state battery leaders have moved past funding the research. Now it is capacity. Next five deals in the sector will be about facilities, not IP.
WatchProLogium's next announcement will name the first automotive OEM contract tied to the France plant.
Read full analysis → Original ↗
spacbatteriesmanufacturingeurope
JOHNNIE BLUE M&A Intelligence Jul 31, 2:02 AM EDT
PE-backed operators across sectors
Multiple sources ↗

Private equity buyout wave spreads: utilities, RIAs, and Louisiana shops

Private equity firms are accelerating acquisitions across multiple sectors: New Mexico Gas Co. approval, a $7 billion Minneapolis RIA bidding war, Harbourfront Wealth distribution of $1 billion post-PE deal, and three south Louisiana industrial firms sold in one month.

ReadingThe floor on private equity pricing for mid-market operators has reset. Any founder not in talks by Q4 is already too late.
WatchLouisiana and New Mexico will see two more industrial or utility deals before year-end. Regional PE shops moving faster than coastal brands.
Read full analysis → Original ↗
m&aprivate equitymid-marketconsolidation
WELL POUR Capital Markets Jul 31, 2:02 AM EDT
Private credit markets
MSN Money ↗

Private credit redemptions easing while direct lending activity falls sharply

Blue Owl Capital reported that private credit redemption pressures are easing and noted growing diversification beyond direct lending, even as fundraising slowed and U.S. direct lending activity fell sharply in Q2 despite higher fund-raising by private credit firms.

ReadingPrivate credit's structure is normalizing. The outsized returns era is over. Capital staying in the asset class but moving to different corners of it.
WatchWhich private credit firm announces a restructured fund targeting lower leverage or longer duration in the next 60 days.
Read full analysis → Original ↗
private creditdirect lendingcapital marketsrisk
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