InBev gets funding, offers olive branch to A-Busch

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - InBev NV on Wednesday confirmed its $46.3 billion bid for rival Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc and spelled out its financial backing and plans to keep the Budweiser name unchanged.

InBev said the deal would be financed with at least $40 billion in debt, as well as equity financing and the divestiture of non-core assets. The company said it had "strong support" from a group of banks to provide "all of the financing required."

InBev said it would position Budweiser as the combined company's flagship brand and the name of the merger company would "evoke Anheuser-Busch's heritage." InBev said it did not expect to close any U.S. breweries.

(Reporting by Jessica Hall, editing by Richard Chang)

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