Airbus Nears €1.8bn Deal for Atos's Cybersecurity Branch
Airbus SE is preparing a proposal to acquire the cybersecurity and big data unit, BDS, of French IT firm Atos SE. The indicative offer stands between €1.5 billion and €1.8 billion, which includes debt. Atos, undergoing a strategic restructuring due to a significant debt load and a sharp decrease in market value over the past three years, has entered into due diligence with Airbus. The sale of BDS is part of Atos's efforts to streamline operations and address liquidity issues, as signaled by a credit rating downgrade by Standard & Poor's.
The potential acquisition by Airbus, the world's largest planemaker, aligns with CEO Guillaume Faury's strategy to bolster the company's digital and cybersecurity capabilities, which are becoming increasingly vital in the aerospace and defense sectors. Airbus's interest in BDS follows an earlier failed attempt to secure a minority stake in a division of Atos, which included the cybersecurity unit. Meanwhile, Atos's Tech Foundations unit sale to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EP Equity Investment is experiencing delays due to transaction complexities. The acquisition of BDS by Airbus could significantly advance the company's digital transformation and support its decarbonization goals. Other interested parties may yet emerge, adding competition to the bid for Atos's valuable tech unit.
