Publisher’s biggest deal for a decade

RELX Group is buying a California-based digital identity checker for £580m.

The deal will bolster the British research specialist’s risk management services, which use number-crunching technology to detect fraud.

Threatmetrix has one of the largest banks of online identities in the world, a Relx Group spokesman said.

Mark Kelsey, chief executive of Relx’s risk and analytics division who is bringing the groups together, said the combination ‘will give our clients a more reliable, comprehensive approach to fraud and identity risk management’.

The deal is expected to close during the first half of this year but will not have a significant impact on Relx’s group earnings.

Relx Group, formerly known as Reed Elsevier, can trace its roots back 120 years to a newsprint plant in Kent, and provides content and analysis for professionals such as doctors and lawyers.