criteria

Barcelona-based Criteria CaixaHolding becomes the second largest shareholder of Suez Environnement after signing a binding agreement with the French-based utility company for the sale of Criteria's 24.14% stake in Agbar (Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona, S.A.) in exchange for 22 million newly issued Suez Environnement shares. These shares represent 4.1% of Suez's share capital and €299 million in cash. As part of the agreement, Criteria stated its intention to allocate part of the money received from the purchase of Suez Environnement shares in the stock market, aiming to achieve, depending on market conditions, a 7% stake in Suez Environnement, a company which currently controls 75.35% of Agbar.

The Catalan theme park PortAventura, located on the Costa Daurada, between Tarragona and Salou, will be completely controlled by Investindustrial, a fund run by the Bonomi family. Portaventura is the only profitable theme park in Spain and one of only a few in Europe. Investindustrial is buying the remaining 50% of the park for €105 million. Furthermore, they have announced a future investment of €80 million to foster the park’s international expansion. PortAventura is located next to the land where the €6 billion mega-resort Barcelona World will be built. The Italian group has a consolidated trajectory of investing large amounts of capital in businesses from a wide range of sectors to ensure growth.

The transformation of the savings bank La Caixa’s industrial holding, Criteria into the private bank CaixaBank is reaching the final stage. Criteria’s stockholder board approved duplicating the current stocks by issuing 300,000 convertible bonds. The new bank expects increasing its market share in Spain by 50% through business activity increase and new acquisitions in the period 2011-2014. The announcement is made the day after billionaire Carlos Slim bought 900,000 CaixaBank stocks.

The Catalan firms have their headquarters in Barcelona. Gas Natural Fenosa is Spain’s sixth largest company and Criteria Caixa the seventh according to the magazine. In the ‘Forbes’ Global 2,000 List, which ranks the 2,000 world’s largest companies, Gas Natural occupies 269th place and Criteria Caixa 322nd.

The industrial holding of the main Catalan savings bank, ‘la Caixa’, made 1,823 million euros of net profit in 2010. Criteria will be the embryo of La Caixa’s new private bank, which will be called CaixaBank.

'La Caixa' will get share listing by transforming its industrial holding company 'Criteria' into a bank. The new financial institution will become one of the top 10 banks in the Eurozone

Criteria CaixaCorp is the holding company of La Caixa savings bank. Criteria had a profit of 1,529 million euros in September. Profits from investments in foreign financial companies increased by 72%

With a 15.5% stake in the Catalan infrastructure group Abertis, the private equity group CVC will become the company?s second largest shareholder