Germany’s federal cartel office, the Bundeskartellamt, cleared the proposed merger between IBM and Confluent. This approval removes a significant regulatory hurdle in a major European market. The transaction remains subject to further international regulatory approvals.
IBM is pursuing the deal to enhance its hybrid cloud and AI portfolios. Confluent specializes in processing real-time data streams using open-source Apache Kafka technology. The integration will strengthen IBM’s ability to deliver comprehensive data-in-motion solutions to its clients.