This week, Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan's state-owned uranium producer, announced its plans to proceed with an IPO. This is the most advanced of a series of privitisations Kazakhstan is planning, including the national oil company, KazMunaiGas. Meanwhile political shifts in Uzbekistan could precipitate a flurry of potential deals as outlined by this news service over the summer.

Patrick Harris, senior reporter on energy and natural resources, talks to Yining Su about the raft of privitisation deals which is expected to sweep across the region.

Barrick's nil-premium takeover of Randgold is being hailed as a landmark deal for the gold mining sector. But are the undoubted synergies enough to please shareholders and deter rival bidders?

Patrick Harris tells Samantha Tomaszczyk why the deal is so significant, including its potential impact on Barrick's investment Acacia Mining.

Electronic payment companies and crypto businesses are increasingly turning to M&A to access banking and electronic money institution licenses. Natalia Lapotko, our Business Services reporter, tells Yining Su about the trend.

Following an exciting weekend auction, Comcast is finally crowned the winner and can proceed with its acquisition of Sky. As Comcast's ownership of Sky grows, Dealcast's Katrien Van Hoof and Samantha Tomaszczyk examine the long process that brought us here and look ahead to how the result may impact Fox and Disney.

Two years after talks began, Linde and Praxair are still trying to secure regulatory clearance for their merger. Chinese approval is due within weeks, but with a 24 October deadline approaching, is the industrial gasses deal going to run out of steam?

Brandon Zero tells Julie-Anna Needham why the antitrust approvals are proving to be a headache for the companies.

The unstoppable rise in the popularity of craft beer has seen major brewers muscle in on the action, with Heineken's recent investment in Beavertown, and a subsidiary of Kirin acquiring Fourpure.

But getting in to bed with "big beer" poses a dilemma for many small brewers who value their independence, with some opting for private equity investment instead.

Over a few beers, Julie-Anna Needham discusses the matter with managing editor John West and consumer reporter Deane McRobie.

In this week’s Dealcast¸ the exceptional M&A cycle is discussed with Greenhill’s UK head, Pieter-Jan Bouten.

Mega deals are set to continue with both boards and investors displaying an extraordinary level of confidence in pursuing transactions and accelerating growth, according to Bouten.

Strong activity in the TMT sector is set to continue, driven by technology and the importance of companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Netflix. With Julie-Anna Needham

Famed for its association with James Bond, the luxury British car-maker Aston Martin is eyeing a London listing later this year.

The owners are reportedly hoping for a valuation of between GBP 4bn and GBP 5bn. But investors have questioned that valuation and queried how closely it can be compared to Ferrari, which has seen its share price jump by some 160% since listing in 2016.

Julie-Anna Needham speaks to Katrien Van Hoof and Swetha Gopinath.

Long-rumoured break-up candidate Smiths Group recently confirmed talks about combining its medical division with ICU Medical. Could it be the trigger that leads to a break-up of the remaining divisions?

Meanwhile, at Uniper’s AGM, a key vote has been delayed on the probe into the role of management and whether they tried to block a stake sale to Fortum. We discuss what it means for the deal.

With Julie-Anna Needham and William Cain.

European banking deals are the discussed this week. Barclays' rumoured tie-up with Standard Chartered is making headlines, while Clydesdale has just over a week before it needs to make a firm bid for Virgin Money. In Denmark, Ringjobing Landbobank has secured the backing of major shareholder previous rival for its deal with Nordjyske.

With Julie-Anna Needham and Gustav Sandstrom