Xavier Niel buys 16% of Vodafone for £4.4bn — becomes largest shareholder

French telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel has become Vodafone's largest shareholder after acquiring a 16% stake for £4.4bn through his investment vehicle Vega. The shares were sold by the Emirati telecoms group e&, which had originally paid £3.3bn for its Vodafone stake in 2022. The deal was struck at 112.5p per share.