DACH
GLOBAL - Blackstone writes down fifth fund by 35%
According to reports, Blackstone Group has written down the value of the portfolio in its $21bn fifth fund, Blackstone Capital Partners V, by 35%.
UK/SWITZERLAND – Index promotes three
Index Ventures has announced the promotions of Ben Holmes to partner and Tony Zappala and Roman Fleck to principal.
GERMANY - BayBG invests into C&R Stahlhandel GmbH
BayBG Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft has invested an undisclosed sum into steel components trading company C&R Stahlhandel GmbH in a silent partnership.
EUROPE - Index Ventures V closes on EUR 350m
Index Ventures has held a final close of its fifth fund, Index Ventures V, on EUR 350m.
EUROPE - Candover reveals full extent of downturn
Candover Investments Plc today announced its final year results for 2008, revealing a sharp aggregated writedown of more than 50% in NAV following five successive years of increases.
EUROPE - Baird bolsters business services team
Baird has strengthened its investment banking advisory business with the hire of Jonathan Harrison as a director within its European business services sector team.
Austria - Frankenstein legislation
Austrian private equity's economic woes are exacerbated by ill-suited legislation, hindering the industry from playing its beneficial role due to cumbersome regulation. Mareen Goebel reports
Fire and fury
It is probably part of human psychology to break out into activism for activism's sake. Facing plummeting stock markets, bursting housing bubbles, waves of unemployment, states teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and the global economy tumbling into...
UK/ITALY - Candover writes off Ferretti investment
Candover is opting out of the restructuring of portfolio company Ferretti, an Italian yacht manufacturer, completely writing off its investment in the business.
GERMANY - Holtzbrinck Ventures funds Stylight
German corporate venture firm Holtzbrinck Ventures has invested an undisclosed value in fashion search engine Stylight GmbH.
SWITZERLAND - UBS appoints group CEO
UBS has appointed Oswald J Grübel as its new group CEO, succeeding Marcel Rohner, who has resigned.
SICAR amendments are good news for GPs
In October 2008, Luxembourg's dedicated regime for private equity funds was updated. The possibility to create subfunds and the significant enhancement of the Luxembourg Limited Partnership are the two key innovations
EUROPE - Commission holds hearing on PE regulation
The EU Commission is today in Brussels holding its hearing into private equity regulation and conduct in Europe, in what should be a significant step towards a conclusion of the long running political debate. Prior to the conference, an industry "task...
SWITZERLAND - Alven Capital invests EUR 1m into eboutic
French investor Alven Capital has made an investment of around EUR 1m (CHF 1.5m) into Internet shopping club eboutic SA.