Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 20, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
The UK government blocked Versarien's asset sale to a Chinese-linked joint venture due to national security concerns, impacting graphene-related assets.
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain blocked the proposed acquisition of graphene-related assets owned by Versarien Plc by a joint venture involving China's Anhui Boundary Innovative Materials Technology, citing national security concerns.
The final order, made by senior minister Pat McFadden and published in an update on the government's website, prevents the transfer and use of both tangible and intangible assets, including intellectual property and know-how with potential dual-use applications.
"The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (McFadden) considers that the provisions of the final order are necessary and proportionate to prevent, remedy or mitigate the risk to national security...," the notice said.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
The UK government blocked the asset sale due to national security concerns related to the proposed acquisition by a Chinese-linked joint venture.
The final order was made by senior minister Pat McFadden and was published on the government's website.
The blocked sale involves both tangible and intangible assets owned by Versarien Plc, including intellectual property related to graphene.
The final order prevents the transfer and use of Versarien's assets to mitigate risks to national security.
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