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Coatings World’s July 18, 2026 weekly recap ranked five of its most-viewed stories for the week ending that date. The leading developments were AkzoNobel’s receipt of conditional, non-binding proposals from Nippon Paint for its Decorative Paints business, a change in operational oversight of AkzoNobel’s Russian subsidiaries, and BASF’s preliminary second-quarter results. The recap also listed an industrial coatings acquisition and a corrosion-resistance conference.
What the July 18 recap covered
This is a dated roundup, not a briefing on the current week. Coatings World described the stories as the most-viewed news on its site for the week ending July 18, 2026. Its indexed recap lists them in this order:
- AkzoNobel received proposals from Nippon Paint for its Decorative Paints business.
- AkzoNobel’s Russian subsidiaries entered temporary external administration.
- BASF announced preliminary second-quarter 2026 figures.
- Gemini Industries acquired Industrial Coating Solutions in Vancouver, Washington.
- Nippon Paint participated in SMARTCOR 2026 in Bhubaneswar.
The recap page’s indexed text supports the list and brief descriptions of its last two items; additional transaction terms and event outcomes are not established there. Coatings World’s July 18 recap
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AkzoNobel received proposals for Decorative Paints
On July 13, AkzoNobel confirmed it had received multiple conditional, non-binding proposals from Nippon Paint Holdings Co. for a potential acquisition of AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints business. The indicative enterprise valuation was €7.5 billion, cash-free and debt-free. That was a valuation indicated in proposals—not an agreed sale price or a completed acquisition.
AkzoNobel characterized the proposals as an alternative proposal under its merger agreement with Axalta. The company said its management and supervisory boards continued to recommend the merger of equals with Axalta. AkzoNobel’s July 13 announcement filed with the SEC
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Russia: operational oversight changed, ownership did not
AkzoNobel said a Russian presidential decree placed its Russian subsidiaries under temporary external administration on July 13. According to the company, operational oversight transferred to a designated external entity, while underlying ownership remained unchanged. External administration should therefore not be described as a sale or transfer of ownership.
AkzoNobel said Russia represented less than 2% of its revenue. It also said its remaining Russian operations had been localized and ringfenced after EU sanctions introduced in 2022. These are the company’s own descriptions of its exposure and operations. AkzoNobel’s July 13 statement on its Russian subsidiaries
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BASF: preliminary second-quarter figures and a higher outlook
BASF pre-released preliminary second-quarter figures on July 15 after EBITDA before special items reached €2.4 billion, significantly exceeding average analyst expectations, according to the company. BASF also raised its full-year 2026 outlook for EBITDA before special items to €6.9 billion–€7.7 billion from €6.2 billion–€7.0 billion.
Those were preliminary Q2 figures and an updated full-year outlook, not the later half-year results. In its July 29 half-year release, BASF reported Q2 sales of €17.2 billion and said the increase in EBITDA before special items was driven mainly by earnings gains in Materials, Chemicals, and Industrial Solutions. These financial figures and the outlook are company-reported. BASF’s July 29 half-year results release
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The recap’s other two stories
Gemini Industries acquired Industrial Coating Solutions
The recap describes Industrial Coating Solutions (ICS) as located in Vancouver, Washington, and says Gemini Industries, Inc. acquired the company. It does not establish the acquisition’s price, terms, or other details.
Nippon Paint took part in SMARTCOR 2026
Nippon Paint participated in the first International Conference on Materials for Corrosion Resistance and Smart Control, or SMARTCOR 2026, at CSIR–Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology in Bhubaneswar. The recap says the company highlighted advanced coil coatings for a sustainable future; it does not provide further technical claims or report event outcomes.
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