Australia: ACCC approves Meta (Facebook) acquisition of Kustomer

On 18 November 2021, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) approved the acquisition of Kustomer by Meta, previously Facebook. The ACCC opened the investigation on 30 March 2021 to determine if the transaction would negatively impact competition, as Meta would be able to limit the access of Kustomer’s rivals to its messaging channels. Kustomer provides software for customer relationship management (CRM) which allows businesses to engage with customers more efficiently. Meta owns the messaging channels Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp that are used in customer services and CRM software. In its statement, the ACCC noted that the merger would not harm competition in any Australian market.