Anglo American Receives Regulatory Approval for De Beers Acquisition

London-based mining giant Anglo American said Friday that it has received final regulatory approval to acquire the Oppenheimer family’s 40 percent stake in the De Beers Group.

“Now that all the conditions to the transaction have been satisfied, a formal pre-emption offer will be served by CHL Holdings Limited (representing the Oppenheimer family interests) on Anglo American and the Government of the Republic of Botswana under the terms of the De Beers Shareholders' Agreement,” Anglo-American said in a statement Friday.

The Oppenheimer family, which has owned the De Beers Group for more than 80 years, announced in November that it will sell its remaining 40 percent stake in the diversified diamond company to Anglo American plc for $5.1 billion in cash. Consent under Section 11 of the South African Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 2002 was the final approval required for this transaction to proceed.

The pending acquisition means that Anglo American will increase its current 45 percent shareholding in the world's largest diamond company to up to 85 percent, subject to adjustment as provided for in the agreement. In January 2012, the transaction was approved by Anglo American shareholders, with 99.94 percent voting in favor.

The Government of the Republic of Botswana, which currently owns a 15 percent stake in De Beers has the opportunity to participate in the transaction and increase its interest in De Beers, on a pro rata basis, to up to 25 percent.

In the event that the GRB exercises its pre-emption rights in full, Anglo American will acquire an incremental 30 percent interest in De Beers, taking its total interest to 75 percent, and the consideration payable by Anglo American would be reduced proportionately.

Anglo American expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2012, in line with its previously stated timeline.

De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea. Mining takes place in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada. The company’s subsidiaries also include the Diamond Trading Company, the rough diamond sales and distribution arm of the company, the Forevermark diamond brand and De Beers Diamond Jewellers, a luxury joint-retail operation with LVMH-Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Anglo-American is one of the world’s largest mining companies with a portfolio that includes iron ore and manganese, metallurgical coal and thermal coal; base metals – copper and nickel; and precious metals and minerals – in which it is a global leader in both platinum and diamonds. The company operates in Africa, Europe, South and North America, Australia and Asia.