Incisive Media in talks to buy the publisher of financial risk to Waters

Independent, The (London), November 18, 2002 by Saeed Shah

INCISIVE Media, the company behind Bloomberg Money Magazine, is negotiating to buy Risk Waters, a financial publisher that is twice its size.

Incisive probably finance the transaction in part through the issuance of new shares. The agreement is seen as worth up to 40 million pounds and will be classified as a reverse takeover as Incisive of market value is only 24m pounds. Incisive suspended trading in its shares, November 6, saying that he had "signed exclusive heads of terms in connection with the acquisition of another company," but he did not appoint its objective. Incisive publishes business-to-business titles and securities services for consumers, such as your mortgage and investment Week.

Earlier this year, Incisive was in talks to buy magazines Pearson, which include Investors Chronicle, and The Banker. It withdrew its offer after £ 65m evidence of a slowdown in trading at the securities, which remain with Pearson.

Risk Waters is a private business-to-business publisher who comes from a single magazine Risk, which was founded by chairman and chief executive, Peter Field, in 1987.

The acquisition of the company may help the families of victims of the terrorist attack of September 11 in the United States. The company hosted a conference on the 106th floor of the north tower of the World Trade Centre. Mr. Field was en route to join the demonstration when terrorists struck. Risk Waters lost 16 staff members and 65 delegates at the conference also killed. The company has set up a fund to help families of the victims and some business profits are given on the subject.