Sponsored by: Investment Center

Something new in your business?  Click here to submit your business press release

Chamber Corner | Main Street News | Job Hunt | Classifieds | Calendar | Illinois Lottery 

Exclusive: EU regulators to approve Facebook's $19 billion bid for WhatsApp - sources

[September 25, 2014]  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union antitrust regulators will unconditionally approve a $19 billion offer by Facebook, the world's most popular social network, for mobile messaging startup WhatsApp, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The landmark deal, the largest in Facebook's 10-year history, will give the company a strong foothold in the fast-growing mobile messaging market and pit it against telecoms companies.

"It's unconditional clearance," one of the people said, declining to be named because the decision by the European Commission is not yet public.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Adrian Croft)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.