, Columnist
UBS+Deutsche = a European Champion, on Paper
A merger makes strategic sense, but would also create a monster that nobody could want to regulate.
So near, and yet so far.
Photographer: Alex Kraus/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Amid all the European banking merger chatter of recent months, one potential deal stands out for its industrial logic. UBS Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG briefly explored a combination, a deal that on paper would bring together highly complementary businesses to create a leading regional lender. Too bad the transformational deal doesn’t stand much of a chance.
Discussions to marry Switzerland's and Germany's biggest banks stemmed from talks the two were having about combining just their asset management units, Bloomberg News reported. But the company-wide merger talks never proceeded beyond the initial stage.