London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Abu Dhabi-backed Apex in talks about bid for stricken MJ Hudson

Abu Dhabi-backed Apex in talks about bid for stricken MJ Hudson

Apex Group is in advanced talks about an agreed takeover of crisis-hit MJ Hudson Group with an announcement expected next week.
A financial services giant backed by an Abu Dhabi sovereign fund is in advanced talks about a takeover of MJ Hudson Group, the struggling London-listed asset management services provider.

Sky News has learned that Apex Group is in detailed negotiations with MJ Hudson's board about a formal offer for the company, weeks after emerging as a suitor to buy a number of its divisions.

City sources said on Friday that an agreement between the two sides could be announced as early as next week.

Apex Group, which is based in Bermuda and has 12,000 employees, provides services to $3trn of client assets.

It is part-owned by Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, and the private equity firms Carlyle and TA Associates.

An insider said that while the talks were at an advanced stage, they could yet fall apart.

Apex had expressed an interest in acquiring the bulk of MJ Hudson's operations - excluding its legal services arm - but recently switched its attention to an offer for the whole company, the insider said.

MJ Hudson, which provides a range of services to asset management groups, has been plunged into crisis in recent months after an accounting review uncovered details of loans guaranteed by its chief executive to subsidiaries of the company.

Its shares were suspended, and its auditor, EY, resigned after less than 18 months, citing a lack of confidence in management.

Founder Matthew Hudson resigned last month.

The company has also parachuted in an interim finance chief following an announcement that it had suspended Peter Connell, the former chief financial officer.

MJ Hudson, which floated on London's junior stock market on the day of the 2019 general election, is an asset management consultancy which advises on issues such as sustainability and helping clients to benchmark themselves against their competitors.

In December, it announced that its shares were being suspended after being made "aware of…issues, including in relation to the reporting of historical trading of the business in relation to [fiscal year] 2022, the full impact of which is unclear".

MJ Hudson had warned investors in October that it was in discussions with its auditors about adjustments to its full-year figures.

It added more recently that it had also appointed external accounting advisers to assist it "in achieving the necessary clarity to enable the year end FY 2022 reporting to be completed".

MJ Hudson's shares were suspended at 13.13p, leaving it with a market value of just £26.7m - down two-thirds on a year earlier.

The company had received other takeover interest in a number of its operations from the likes of Hawksford, With Intelligence, which is owned by the investment firm Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), and Inflexion Private Equity.

Last week, it announced the sale of its UK asset management business to Khepri Limited for just £1m.

Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), the professional services firm, has been handling the sale process, while Apex is being advised by Rothschild.

Apex and MJ Hudson both declined to comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
×