Let's talk about what companies are buying, selling, and sometimes, unfortunately, breaking. This week's deal flow is a fascinating mix of giant strategic bets, regulatory milestones, and a sobering list of businesses hitting the bankruptcy wall. It's the full corporate lifecycle, served in one dispatch.
New On The Block: Who's Putting Up the 'For Sale' Sign?
First, the companies testing the waters. Private equity firm Warburg Pincus is reportedly kicking the tires on a sale of Exeter Finance, the subprime auto lender it bought from Blackstone just a few years back. The price tag being floated? A cool $2.5 to $3 billion. Talks are apparently ongoing.
Over in the digital infrastructure world, Mawson Infrastructure Group has decided it's time for a formal review. They're looking at "strategic alternatives," which is corporate-speak for "maybe we should sell this thing or find a deep-pocketed partner." The goal, as always, is to "maximize shareholder value."
But not every review ends with a deal. Sometimes, you look in the mirror and decide you like what you see. That's what happened at GSI Technology. After a strategic review, the company concluded that going it alone is the best path forward. They're sticking with their plan to grow their high-performance memory and compute business.
Perma-Pipe International Holdings came to a similar conclusion. Instead of selling, they're doubling down on growth, with plans to expand into the U.S. Northeast and, interestingly, prioritize investments to get a piece of the booming AI data center sector.
Updates From The Block: Deals in Motion
Now for the deals that are actually happening. In a move that would shake up the pantry, consumer goods giant Unilever is reportedly considering a sale to spice king McCormick & Co. The potential valuation? A whopping $33 billion. The twist? They're looking at structuring it as a Reverse Morris Trust, a fancy (and tax-free) way to merge.
In the world of plastic and pixels, Mastercard is making a big crypto play. They've agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure startup BVNK for $1.8 billion. BVNK, founded in 2021, builds the financial stack that lets businesses send, receive, and manage money using stablecoins. Mastercard is essentially buying a bridge between traditional finance and the crypto world. The deal should close later this year, assuming regulators give it the nod.
The biggest pure-play deal of the week might be in the world of... stuff. Your extra furniture, holiday decorations, and that treadmill you never use. Public Storage (PSA) is buying rival National Storage Affiliates (NSA) in an all-stock deal valued at $10.5 billion. It's a massive consolidation in the self-storage sector. Before it closes (targeting Q3), the two will form a joint venture with NSA's operating partners.
In a more niche industrial move, 3M is teaming up with private equity firm Bain Capital to buy Madison Fire & Rescue from Madison Industries for $1.95 billion. Here's the interesting part: 3M is spinning off its Scott Safety unit (which makes breathing apparatuses) into a new joint venture for this deal. 3M gets $700 million cash at closing and keeps a 50.1% stake; Bain gets the rest. It's not expected to close until the second half of 2026, so don't hold your breath.
After a long regulatory wait, the media merger between Nexstar Media Group (NXST) and Tegna (TGNA) finally got the FCC's blessing. Nexstar announced the $6.2 billion deal last August, but it was stuck on rules about how many local stations one company can own. That hurdle is now cleared.
And in community banking, Community West Bancshares (CWBC) is merging with United Security Bancshares (UBFO). The combined entity will have about $5 billion in assets and branches across 13 counties in Central California. Shareholders of both banks need to approve, with a closing eyed for Q2 2026.
