EU regulator to green light Facebook's $19bn Whatsapp acquisition
The European Union's (EU) antitrust commissioner is poised to green light Facebook's proposed $19bn acquisition of Whatsapp, which will grant the social network the power to finalise its deal with the messenger app, according to Reuters.
Whatsapp is one of the most widely used apps in the world
The agreed fee of $19bn will be the biggest in Facebookâs decade-long history and will see the site overtake the popular mobile messenger service Whatsapp.
The move comes after Whatsapp became more widely downloaded than Facebook messenger on the mobile platform at the end of 2013.
The communication app will grant the social network access to its user base of nearly half a billion individuals upon completion of the deal.
Reuters reports that two sources close to the EU anti-trust probe, which was launched earlier this month, said the regulator will give the move the green light.
This comes after a questionnaire was issued to EU brands and telecos found that if the acquisition had minimal adverse effects on competitiveness in the communication industry in the region.
The deal, which was accepted by US authorities as early as May this year will be delayed further until the EU watchdog officially announces its decision on 3 October.
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