Johannesburg - FirstRand [JSE:FSR], Momentum and Metropolitan Holdings [JSE:MET] on Thursday announced they have reached agreement on final terms to proceed with the merger of Metropolitan and Momentum, which will create South Africa's third-largest listed insurer worth about R30bn.
In a joint statement, the parties announced that Momentum CEO Nicolaas Kruger will become the CEO of the merged entity, which will be renamed MMI Holdings Limited. Metropolitan CEO Wilhelm Van Zyl will be the deputy CEO.
The board of MMI Holdings was also announced. The chairperson and deputy chair will be Laurie Dippenaar and JJ Njeke respectively, whose appointments will be for one year. In total there will be four executive directors and 16 non-executive directors.
The name MMI Holdings will only apply to the listed entity. The brands of Momentum and Metropolitan will continue to be used in the client-facing businesses, where both have established strong and trusted legacies.
"The management teams of Metropolitan and Momentum are confident of the potential of MMI Holdings," said Kruger. "The combination of the two businesses, which have created powerful franchises in complementary market segments, represents a compelling growth story that provides all stakeholders with a wealth of exciting prospects.
"Not only will the merger generate economies of scale and other business synergies, including wide-ranging cross-selling opportunities, but it will also result in enhanced capital efficiencies and greater risk diversification."
Following the completion of one of the most comprehensive due diligence processes in South African corporate history, the merger ratio is now confirmed based on the consistently calculated embedded values of the two entities as at December 31 2009.
Following implementation of the merger, FirstRand shareholders will hold 59.3% and current Metropolitan shareholders 40.7% of the share capital of the merged entity. Based on this ratio, when FirstRand's stake in the merged entity is unbundled, FirstRand shareholders can expect to receive 16.9 shares in the merged entity for every 100 ordinary shares held in FirstRand.
Both the merger and the unbundling remain subject to shareholder approval at general meetings that will take place on September 28, as well as approval by the Competition Tribunal and other regulatory bodies.
- I-Net Bridge
In a joint statement, the parties announced that Momentum CEO Nicolaas Kruger will become the CEO of the merged entity, which will be renamed MMI Holdings Limited. Metropolitan CEO Wilhelm Van Zyl will be the deputy CEO.
The board of MMI Holdings was also announced. The chairperson and deputy chair will be Laurie Dippenaar and JJ Njeke respectively, whose appointments will be for one year. In total there will be four executive directors and 16 non-executive directors.
The name MMI Holdings will only apply to the listed entity. The brands of Momentum and Metropolitan will continue to be used in the client-facing businesses, where both have established strong and trusted legacies.
"The management teams of Metropolitan and Momentum are confident of the potential of MMI Holdings," said Kruger. "The combination of the two businesses, which have created powerful franchises in complementary market segments, represents a compelling growth story that provides all stakeholders with a wealth of exciting prospects.
"Not only will the merger generate economies of scale and other business synergies, including wide-ranging cross-selling opportunities, but it will also result in enhanced capital efficiencies and greater risk diversification."
Following the completion of one of the most comprehensive due diligence processes in South African corporate history, the merger ratio is now confirmed based on the consistently calculated embedded values of the two entities as at December 31 2009.
Following implementation of the merger, FirstRand shareholders will hold 59.3% and current Metropolitan shareholders 40.7% of the share capital of the merged entity. Based on this ratio, when FirstRand's stake in the merged entity is unbundled, FirstRand shareholders can expect to receive 16.9 shares in the merged entity for every 100 ordinary shares held in FirstRand.
Both the merger and the unbundling remain subject to shareholder approval at general meetings that will take place on September 28, as well as approval by the Competition Tribunal and other regulatory bodies.
- I-Net Bridge