KPMG Law advises Umweltbank on the acquisition of a minority stake in Utopia

KPMG Law Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH (KPMG Law) provided legal advice to Umweltbank AG (Umweltbank) on the acquisition of approximately 26 percent of the shares in Utopia GmbH (Utopia).

Umweltbank is an independent private bank with approximately 14,000 shareholders. According to its own statements, it promotes the sustainable development of society with the aim of preserving and creating a world worth living in for future generations. Within the framework of these values, it conducts banking business and acquires equity interests in companies.

Utopia operates a German-language online platform on the topic of sustainability and develops media and communication solutions on the subject of sustainable lifestyles. The majority shareholder of Utopia is GLG Green Lifestyle GmbH, which claims to be one of the largest media groups for “green lifestyle” in Germany.

In the context of the transaction, KPMG Law provided legal due diligence as well as legal advice on the drafting and negotiation of the contractual framework underlying the transaction. KPMG Law worked closely with the tax experts at KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, who performed the tax due diligence and provided tax advice during the drafting of the contract.

Consultant Umweltbank AG:

KPMG Law Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH: Dr. Christian Hensel (Partner, Lead),
Dr. Cordula Brügmann
(Manager);

Emanuel Daschner

(Associate, all Corporate/M&A, Nuremberg/Hamburg);

Dr. Martin Trayer

(Partner, Legal Deal Advisory, Frankfurt); Saskia Beuschel (Senior Associate, Labor Law, Nuremberg);
Fulya Isikgel
(Senior Manager, Legal Deal Advisory, Frankfurt);

Dr. Anna-Kristine Wipper

(Partner, IP Law, Berlin);

Marie-Valentine Goffin

(Associate, IP Law, Düsseldorf)

KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft: Dr. Frank Wiesmann (Partner, Stuttgart/Karlsruhe), Dr. Andreas Demleitner (Senior Manager, Nuremberg, both M&A/Tax,)

Consultant Umweltbank AG Inhouse:

Markus Schmidt (Head of Treasury & Sustainability), Tobias Leikam (Treasury & Sustainability), Dr. Marc Alexander Schmieder (Head of Legal & Compliance), Carsten Dierkes (Lead Partner Legal)

Consultant GLG Green Lifestyle GmbH:

Graf von Westphalen Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Partnerschaft mbB: Dr. Ritesh Rajani (Partner, Lead Partner)