Macquarie Group has halted trading as speculation mounts on an announcement of its Esanda Dealer Finance acquisition from ANZ Bank.
Industry sources believe the group’s corporate and asset finance unit has secured the loan portfolio for around A$ 8.3 billion, which is estimated to have an A$ 1.1 billion book value.
Macquarie's equity capital markets team have had an equity raising ready to go for weeks, with Morgan Stanley analysts tipping that Macquarie could raise between A$ 623 million to A$ 1.1 billion capital.
Other bidder included China's HNA Group, advised by Nomura, and a consortium led by Pepper Group, which withdrew from bidding last week according to Australian Financial Review.