CEE
Placement agents: a dying breed?
The placement agent industry has attracted criticism of late, with some labelling it as nothing more than a glorified introductory business. As fundraising becomes more complex, Alice Murray investigates how relevant this advisory service is
Earlybird holds first close for new CEE fund
Earlybird Venture Capital has held the first close of its CEE-focused early-stage fund, Earlybird Digital East Fund (EDEF), on $110m.
EQT closes €1.1bn mid-market fund
After more than a decade of swelling fund sizes, EQT has returned to its roots by closing a mid-market fund on €1.1bn.
Estonian start-up Cloutex raises $600,000
Cloud service integration platform Cloutex has raised a $600,000 seed funding round from asset management firm United Partners, Baltic investor SmartCap and the EstBan business angel network.
Fintech: throwing down the gauntlet to financial services
Financial technology dealflow is growing at a steady pace and the banks are taking note. Amy King investigates the drivers and challenges behind the fintech revolution.
Insurers to ramp up private equity exposure in 2014
Insurers are rethinking their investment strategies and beginning to increase their exposure to private equity. Some are even looking at it from an asset-liability management perspective.
Avallon raises €109m for MBO II fund
Polish investor Avallon has reached the €109m mark for its Avallon MBO II fund, a year after holding its first close on €60m.
PAI reaches halfway line with €1.4bn first close
French private equity house PAI partners is understood to be halfway towards the hard-cap of its latest vehicle, PAI Europe VI.
2013 buyouts: overall value stabilises around €75bn
The overall value of European private equity-backed buyouts has hovered around the тЌ75bn mark for the third year in a row, with last year's deals totalling тЌ74.7bn.
Apollo raises $17.5bn for Fund VIII
Apollo Global Management has bucked the trend of large-cap players downsizing their funds compared to pre-crisis efforts: the firm has amassed $17.5bn for its latest global vehicle after a little more than a year on the road.
Strong finish to the year for faltering emerging market
A turbulent year for CEE private equity is ending on a high. Kimberly Romaine reports
Investcorp acquires Namet stake
Bahrain-based Investcorp has acquired a minority stake in Turkish meat company Namet Gida Saayi ve Ticareti.
Turkven buys Carlyle's stake in Medical Park
Turkish private equity firm Turkven has acquired Carlyle’s 40% stake in hospital chain Medical Park.
Mutual understanding: Private equity and the UK government
PE and the State
Fastlane et al. back IQcard
Fastlane Ventures has taken part in a $3.7m funding round for IQcard, a Moscow-based provider of pre-paid bank cards and affiliated services for retailers.
Phenomen et al. invest $8m in Delivery Club
Phenomen Ventures, Guard Capital and AddVenture have injected $8m into Delivery Club, a Moscow-based online food delivery company.
Dragon Capital backs Portmone
Dragon Capital has acquired a controlling stake in Portmone.com, a Ukrainian online payments system provider.
Ardian and Resource Partners increase Baltcom holding
Ardian and Resource Partners have bought out a minority shareholder in SIA Baltcom TV (Baltcom), a Latvian cable television operator, to increase their joint stake in the business.
Arx reaps 4.5x on Ergis Eurofilms exit
Arx Equity Partners has divested Polish plastics processor Ergis Eurofilms through a series of block trades to investors on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
VEB injects $5m into rebranded Travel.ru
Venture capital-backed Oktogo.ru, which acquired Travel.ru in September, has rebranded as Travel.ru and announced a $5m investment by VEB Innovations.
Are European GPs ready to embrace the robotics revolution?
As robotic solutions creep into our everyday lives, Kim Richters looks at private equityтs relationship with the increasingly important sub-sector.
VTB's Tele2 Russia and Rostelecom merge mobile assets
VTB Capital-backed Tele2 Russia Holding is merging its mobile assets with the mobile division of Moscow Exchange-listed telecommunications company Rostelecom.