Eight Advisory provides financial advisory services to Macquarie Asset Management in connection with the financing of Verkor
Eight Advisory carried out the financial and tax buy side due diligences, the review of financial and tax modelling, as well as the tax structuring, on behalf of Macquarie Asset Management in relation to its investment, via its Energy Transition Solutions Fund, in the French battery manufacturing start-up Verkor.
Verkor has secured more than €2 billion in financing, comprising a €850 million Series C financing round, €600 million in support from the European Investment Bank, and approximately €650 million in French subsidies, pending approval from the European Commission.
Macquarie Asset Management, through its dedicated Green Investment team, is the lead investor in this latest financing round. With the support of Meridiam, an independent investment and asset management firm, they are jointly contributing to:
- The construction of Verkor’s first Gigafactory in Dunkirk, focused on the production of high-quality low carbon battery cells.
- Innovation at the Verkor Innovation Centre (VIC) to promote cutting-edge battery technologies.
- Massive investments throughout the battery value chain, creating thousands of jobs.
This financial support, combined with the presence of key partners and a long-term commercial partnership with the Renault Group, testifies to the credibility of Verkor’s project. The company’s goal is to supply the European automotive industry with low-carbon batteries, thus making a comprehensive contribution to European sovereignty in electromobility and energy storage.
“The alliance between Verkor and Renault Group, strengthened by the significant financial support of Macquarie Asset Management, demonstrates the strategic vision and potential of the Verkor project as a benchmark for electromobility in Europe“, said Sébastien Smercan, Partner at Eight Advisory.
The team in charge of the financial due diligence and the review of financial modelling was composed of Sebastien Smercan, Maroua Berrazaga and Arthur Anterion.
The tax team in charge of the tax due diligence, tax structuring and the review of tax modelling consisted of Guillaume Rembry, Kevin Peau, Bastien Martinez and Anatolya Icer.
