CureVac Shareholders Approve Final Chapter with BioNTech Acquisition

CureVac NL0015436031

The independent trading journey of CureVac's stock has concluded following the successful completion of its acquisition by rival BioNTech SE. The transaction, which was finalized on December 18, 2025, received overwhelming support from CureVac's shareholder base, with approximately 86.75% tendering their shares in favor of the deal.

BioNTech's offer, initially announced in June 2025, provided CureVac shareholders with 0.05363 BioNTech American Depositary Shares (ADS) for each share they held. The acceptance threshold of 75% was surpassed well ahead of schedule, with 81.74% of shares committed by December 3. Ultimately, a total of 195.3 million CureVac shares were tendered.

This merger concludes a quarter-century of independence for the mRNA pioneer, which was once viewed as a leading vaccine developer but ultimately trailed behind BioNTech and Moderna during the global pandemic.

The Path to Delisting

The stock's removal from major indices occurred on December 24, 2025, triggered by the free float falling below 15%. Nasdaq has established the subsequent timeline: a compulsory acquisition of the remaining outstanding shares is scheduled for January 2026. This will be followed by a post-offer reorganization period, culminating in the permanent delisting of CureVac shares from public trading.

Investors who have not yet submitted their shares will have them automatically converted into the specified BioNTech ADS consideration during the compulsory acquisition process.

Leadership and Integration Plans

With the deal now closed, CureVac's former executive board members have voluntarily stepped down. The new leadership team will be headed by BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin, alongside BioNTech manager Sierk Poetting and newly appointed Managing Director Ramón Zapata-Gomez.

BioNTech has stated that CureVac will initially maintain its existing operational processes to ensure business continuity. The strategic, operational, and scientific integration will proceed in parallel, with the final combined structure to be determined at a later date. Ugur Sahin described the acquisition as a move to deepen BioNTech's mRNA technology platform.