DLA Piper has advised WTS Stiftung für Altersversorgung (WTS Foundation) as sole shareholder of WTS Group AG in connection with the long-term strategic partnership between WTS Group and the Swedish private equity firm EQT. The EQT X Fund joins WTS as anchor investor with the aim to significantly accelerate the growth of WTS.
DLA Piper advised the foundation and its bodies on the legal review of the transaction structure from a corporate law and compliance perspective. In this regard, a team from the law firm supported the preparation and implementation of the board decisions. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to take place in the summer of 2025.
Founded in Munich in 2000, WTS is today one of the leading independent players in the attractive tax advisory industry, with 14 locations in Germany, over 1,500 employees and an annual revenue of around EUR250 million.
DLA Piper team was co-led by partners Dr Emanuel H. F. Ballo (Compliance, Frankfurt) and Dr Moritz von Hesberg (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg), and included partner Dr Nils Krause (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg), senior associate Robert Fischer-Sonnberg (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg) as well as associates Dr Gregor Schott (Compliance, Frankfurt) and Melanie Bierwirth (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg).
