Grupo Modelo, the Mexican brewer, made good on its threat to request arbitration over a $52bn deal for its part-owner Anheuser-Busch to be acquired by InBev, but InBev and Anheuser expected the claims to have no impact on their ability to close their merger by the end of the year.

Modelo has argued since the deal was inked this summer that under a 1993 agreement governed by Mexican law, Anheuser cannot transfer ownership of its half stake in Modelo without giving Modelo the chance to buy itself back.