Linde, Praxair deal threatened by U.S. antitrust regulator

The $65 billion merger between industrial gas majors Linde and Praxair has hit another stumbling block. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission wants the two to divest additional operations to receive regulatory approval. Linde previously arranged to divest assets in the Americas to a partnership led by German gas firm Messer Group, while Praxair agreed to sell its European industrial gas business to Taiyo Nippon Sanso. According to Linde, FTC now wants disposals that could exceed a limit the two firms previously agreed to. However, Linde says discussions with FTC will continue, “to achieve a mutually acceptable result.”