| The Takeover Panel | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1968 |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | London,EC4 |
| Employees | 26 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Website | www |
The Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, or more commonlyThe Takeover Panel, is the United Kingdom's regulatory body charged with the administration ofThe Takeover Code.
It was set up in 1968 and is located inLondon,England.
Its role is to ensure that allshareholders are treated equally during takeover bids. Its main functions are to issue and administer the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Code") and to supervise and regulate takeovers and other matters to which the Code applies. Its central objective is to ensure fair treatment for all shareholders in takeover bids.
The Panel is a statutory body under Chapter 1 of Part 28 (sections 942 to 965) of the Companies Act 2006 as amended by The Companies Act 2006 (Amendment of Schedule 2)(No 2) Order 2009. It has established a reputation for giving informed advice in an expert area of regulatory activity. It is thede facto arbiter of takeover bids and has the support of government and other organisations with statutory involvement.
The European Takeovers Directive mandates that the Panel is put on a statutory footing. This was completed in theCompanies Act 2006.[1]
Whenever a transaction is made on theLSE or other London-basedexchange that is greater than £10,000, the details of the transaction are passed on to the panel for their evaluation, and a levy is charged of £1.50 (as of 2 December 2024) on the transaction, which goes to the panel as payment (known as the "PTM levy").[2]
It was decided inR v Panel on Take-overs and Mergers, ex p Datafin plc that decisions of this panel are subject to judicial review, even though it was at that time (i.e., in 1986) only a private body. This was due to its "enormous power" and "giant's strength".[3] As The Panel is now a statutory footing, its decisions can now be reviewed even without referring to this case.
The Takeover Panel has been led by the following individuals since inception:
| Nation | Panel |
|---|---|
| Australian Takeovers Panel | |
| Takeovers and Mergers Panel | |
| Irish Takeover Panel[27] | |
| Takeovers Panel[28] | |
| Swedish Securities Council (Swedish:Aktiemarknadsnämnden)[29] |