SABMiller’s board will review its $107bn (€97.19bn) merger deal with Anheuser Busch InBev once all regulatory approvals have been secured, its chairman said yesterday.

The world’s largest brewer wanted to keep the biggest deal of the year under wraps. Market chatter and the UK’s unique takeover rules got in the way.

Anheuser-Busch has approached rival SABMiller about a takeover that would form a brewing colossus which makes around a third of the beer consumed globally.