France's Thales is ready to buy Imperva in $3.6 bln cybersecurity deal!

PARIS, July 25 (Reuters) - France's Thales (TCFP.PA) said on Tuesday it would buy U.S. cybersecurity company Imperva in a deal worth $3.6 billion as it steps up expansion outside its historic defence business in the war against bots and hackers.

Thales' move signals the group is ready to spend large sums to beef up its digital identity and security (DIS) division and take market share in the United States, where Imperva serves some of the biggest companies.

Thales said buying Imperva would generate around $110 million of pretax synergies, including $50 million of cost savings and $60 million linked to revenue opportunities.The combined business would have proforma revenues of 4.5 billion euros in 2024, rising to 5.4-5.5 billion in 2027.

Cyberattacks have become the top worry for global corporate executives, according to a recent survey by PwC. France last year opened a dedicated campus outside Paris to tackle hacking.

Thales said the deal would deliver a medium-term boost to its earnings per share and add close to $500 million in revenue.The acquisition is Thales' biggest since it bought digital identity company Gemalto in 2019 for $5.6 billion.Thales said the deal would close in 2024 subject to approvals, and did not anticipate significant hurdles.