News Summary:
On March 20, 2026, French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, a controlling shareholder of Bolloré Group which owns Vivendi and subsequently Havas Group, was ordered to stand trial in December over long-running allegations of using improper means to win port contracts in West Africa. The case, led by France’s financial prosecutor, focuses on claims of bribery linked to a Togo port deal about 15 years ago and separate embezzlement allegations tied to a Guinea container terminal contract. Previously, on March 18, Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO of Havas and Chairman of Vivendi's Supervisory Board, affirmed Havas's continued investment in Italy, clarifying that Vivendi's strategy to exit the telecommunications sector did not include Italy. Earlier, on March 16, Havas launched its 'Brand Insights AI', a generative engine optimization (GEO) product utilizing Anthropic’s Claude Code to measure brand appearance in AI-generated answers through multi-model prompt runs and citation analysis. Concurrently, Havas reported repurchasing 15,274,845 shares under its share buyback program up to March 13, 2026, for a total consideration of €1.9727, after accounting for a reverse split.
Subscribe for full access to Havas Group's profile
Subscribe for full access to Havas Group's products in full detail 
