subject to regulatory approvals

朝から驚きのニュースです。日本経済新聞社は英国の経済紙 フィナンシャル・タイムズ・グループを８億4400万ポンド（約1600億円）で買収することを同社の親会社である英ピアソン合意しました。

Japan's Nikkei media group to take over Financial Times

Japanese news organization Nikkei Inc. on Thursday agreed to buy out the leading British newspaper Financial Times Group from the U.K. media and education services group Pearson PLC in what will be one of the largest ever acquisitions of an overseas business by a Japanese media group.

Under the agreement, announced by Nikkei and Pearson, the Japanese company strong on business and financial news will buy all the shares in FT for 844 million pounds (about $1.3 billion). The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2015, subject to regulatory approvals, Pearson said.

Pearson has been exploring the sale of FT, an asset it has owned since 1957, to focus on its education business.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2015/07/365352.html

subject to regulatory approvalsはM&A関連記事ではよく目にしますが，これはどのような意味なのでしょうか。３ヶ月，まったく会っていないUME先生，どうぞ。（UG）