Completion date for Zurich's £8.1bn Beazley takeover revealed

Zurich’s £8.1bn acquisition of Beazley is set to complete on 1 October 2026.

In a joint statement in February 2026, Zurich and Beazley confirmed that they had reached an agreement in principle on the key financial terms of a deal.

The European Commission (EC) examined the deal in June 2026 after receiving notification of the agreement, which it gave the green light to.

In a statement on 14 September 2026, it was revealed that a court hearing has been scheduled for 22 September 2026 to sign it all off.

“Subject to the satisfaction – or where applicable, waiver – of the remaining conditions, the effective date for the transaction is expected to be 1 October 2026, in which case payment will be made to Beazley shareholders by 15 October 2026,” it added.

Deal details

The deal represents a premium of 59.8% to Beazley’s closing share price of 820 pence on 16 January 2026, being the last business day prior to the offer period.

Under the terms, Beazley shareholders would be entitled to receive a total value of up to 1,335 pence per Beazley share, with shareholders also set to receive a 25p dividend alongside the deal.

Zurich believes taking over Beazley would help to establish a leading global specialty platform, based in the UK, that would bring in around $15bn (£11.1bn) of GWP.

Mario Greco, chief executive at Zurich, said: “This transaction is a strong step in accelerating Zurich’s specialty strategy.

”Together with Beazley, we will create the world’s leading specialty underwriter, with around $15bn of pro forma GWP, exceptional underwriting expertise and data capabilities and leading access to global distribution.”