Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12329 – ABERDEEN / DIGITALBRIDGE GROUP / EQUANS) – Candidate case for simplified procedure
Date: 2026-02-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: Netherlands, clean technology, digital infrastructure supply, economic concentration, electric vehicle, electrical energy, energy distribution, energy use, investment company, merger control








C_202600769EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/769


3.2.2026






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.12329 – ABERDEEN / DIGITALBRIDGE GROUP / EQUANS)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(C/2026/769)


1.   
On 27 January 2026, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).
This notification concerns the following undertakings:






—


abrdn Investments Limited (‘Aberdeen’) controlled by Aberdeen Group plc (‘Aberdeen Group’), both of the United Kingdom,










—


DigitalBridge Acquisitions LLC controlled by DigitalGroup Inc (‘DigitalBridge’), both of the United States,










—


EQUANS Infra & Mobility B.V (‘EQUANS IM’) controlled by EQUANS S.A.S., both of the Netherlands.




abrdn Investments Limited and DigitalBridge will acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of EQUANS IM.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:






—


Aberdeen Group offers active asset management to institutional, wholesale and strategic insurance clients, along with wealth management, financial planning and advice services either directly to customers or through financial advisors. It is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange,










—


DigitalBridge manages infrastructure assets and invests in companies. Its investment focus spans digital infrastructure, including data centers, fiber networks, towers, and related connectivity assets, as well as transportation, clean mobility, and energy-transition infrastructure,










—


EQUANS IM is a so-called charge point operator, which owns and operates (mostly public) EV charging infrastructure exclusively in the Netherlands.






3.   
On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.
Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (2), it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.


4.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed concentration to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:
M.12329 – ABERDEEN / DIGITALBRIDGE GROUP / EQUANS
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

Postal address:





European Commission




Directorate-General for Competition




Merger Registry




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË







(1)  
            OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  
            OJ C 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/769/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)