September, 29, 2026 - BASF SE confirmed on September, 25 exploratory talks with RAG-Stiftung and Evonik Industries AG (Evonik) regarding a potential takeover of Evonik. The course and outcome of these exploratory talks remain open at this stage.

BASF said it was taking a disciplined approach on the subject, which is an usual practice of the company when negotiating acquisitions.

However, on September 28, Reuters reported that Evonik had rejected a 10.3 billion Euros bid by BASF, according to sources close to the negotiations.

Evonik is a global chemical company, headquartered in Essen, Germany, and active in more than 100 countries. It generated sales of €14.1 billion and earnings (adjusted EBITDA) of €1.9 billion in 2025.

Evonik’s portfolio is one of the most diverse in the specialty chemicals sector, covering materials, additives, and technologies used across global industries, including Coatings, adhesives, construction, Automotive, aerospace, electronics, Food & beverage, agriculture, Pharma, medical devices, Plastics & rubber, textiles, energy, and others.

According to BASF sources cited by Reuters, Evonik's profile ​was well fit to the group, with synergies that could generate possible cost benefits. An acquisiton of Evonik would boost BASF resilience and reduce its dependency ​on ⁠European markets, the sources said.