Saudi state-led petchems giant Sabic has received all regulatory approvals required to buy a 24.99% stake in Swiss specialty chemicals firm Clariant from US investment funds 40 North and Corvex Management. Although Sabic has not announced a purchase price, the stake was worth around $2.5bn based on Clariant’s 24 January closing share price just before the deal was announced. Sabic will be the largest shareholder in Clariant, which produces chemicals for the catalysts and packaging sectors at 80 plants worldwide with a combined 4mn t/y capacity. Sabic’s expansion strategy targets large new joint ventures and major acquisitions. New ventures include a cracker-based complex in Texas with ExxonMobil and an oil-to-chemicals project with Aramco in Saudi Arabia. Aramco is also expanding in petchems with its recent move to buy out German partner Lanxess in its Arlanxeo elastomers joint venture (MEES, 10 August).