Region
Unquote has a long history of delivering in-depth coverage for each European market, from individual deals to fundraising and region-specific trend analysis. Click on the following links to access content for a specific region:
UK & Ireland DACH Nordic France Southern Europe Benelux CEE
UK - GE Capital makes six senior hires in the UK
Following the reorganisation of GE's global operations under the GE Capital brand, the company has made six senior level appointments to head up its asset-based lending, fleet and equipment financing operations in the UK.
UK - BPE-backed ATP acquires Instone from 3i in £37m deal
Barclays Private Equity-backed ATP International Group has acquired marine travel company Instone International from 3i, in a deal valued at £37m. Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets' acquistion finance team provided working capital facilities to support the...
UK - Charlemagne appoints Russell
Emerging markets investment management group Charlemagne Capital has hired Michael Russell as head of private equity - property.
UK - Hotbed backs buy-in of Sabel Cosmetics
Private investor network Hotbed has backed the management buy-in of UK-based hair care products manufacturer Sabel Cosmetics with an investment of £1.6m. Founder and vendor John Abel also participated in the deal.
GERMANY – EMBL Ventures leads EUR 4.5m vasopharm funding
EMBL Ventures, alongside HeidelbergCapital, Entrepreneurs Fund and KfW, has backed biotechnology company vasopharm GmbH with an investment of EUR 4.5m.
EUROPE - Close Brothers Corporate Finance acquired by Daiwa for £75m
Daiwa Securities SMBC Europe, the European subsidiary of Japanese investment bank Daiwa Securities SMBC Co, has agreed to acquire Close Brothers Corporate Finance from Close Brothers Group plc for £75m.
FRANCE - Wellington and Icso lead EUR 6m SuperSonic investment
Wellington Partners and Icso Private Equity have led a EUR 6m investment into medical equipment company SuperSonic Imagine, alongside Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Auriga Partners, Crédit Agricole Private Equity, NBGI Ventures and BioAm.
FRANCE - Bridgepoint strengthens Paris office
Bridgepoint has recruited Frédéric Pescatori as a director within its Paris office, taking the number of members of the team to seven.
RUSSIA - Aurora holds first closing of £50m LP fund
Aurora Investment Advisors (AIA), which currently manages the AIM-quoted vehicle Aurora Russia Ltd, has reached an undisclosed first closing of Aurora II LP, a £50m Guernsey-based limited partnership dedicated to investments in Russia.
UK - Pamplona seeks stake in Chaucher Holdings
Private equity firm Pamplona Capital Management is reportedly in talks with listed insurer Chaucher Holdings over the acquisition of a 30% stake in the business.
UK - Advent may make Four Seasons bid
Reports suggest that buyout house Advent International is considering a bid for beleaguered care-home operator Four Seasons Health Care.
GLOBAL - Barclays looks to sell $ 10m asset management unit
Barclays is reportedly in talks with US asset manager Black Rock and Bank of New York Mellon to sell its asset management unit, Barclays Global Investors (BGI), with the price tag thought to be around $10bn.
FRANCE - Innovacom leads EUR 4m Streamezzo funding
Innovacom has joined returning investors Sofinnova Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, Qualcomm, NTEC and GET Valorisation in a EUR 4m funding round for Streamezzo, a provider of rich application software platforms for mobile.
SWEDEN - STF backs SEK 15m Swebo funding
Sustainable Technologies Fund (STF) has, alongside Norrlandsfonden, invested SEK 15m into Swebo Bioenergy, a supplier of heating devices based on bioenergy solutions for heating.
SWEDEN - Amadeus and Northzone lead EUR 16m Tobii funding
Amadeus Capital Partners and Northzone Ventures have led a EUR 16m series-B funding round for eye-tracking systems developer Tobii, alongside exisiting backer Investor Growth Capital, the venture capital arm of industrial holding Investor AB.
SPAIN - Creditors take over Cinven-backed USP Group
According to reports, Cinven-backed healthcare group United Surgical Partners (USP) has completed a restructuring with its lenders Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland that will see the banks acquire a 65% stake in the business through a debt-for-equity...
Default rates double; set to escalate further
For years bearish professionals have been warning of imminent and widespread defaults. Now it seems they are upon us, with double-digit default rates expected within the year. Kimberly Romaine reports
Re-motivating management
The economic situation is affecting existing management shares incentives in companies with no equity value as well as - for those companies that can still use equity as an incentive - some of the more popular plans currently being implemented. Rebecca...
Maybe it's you
It seems that for each bank claiming to be "open for business" there are at least two to three buyout houses retorting it's a load of hogwash. Indeed, of the mere 14 buyouts recorded in the UK in Q1, more than a third involved no banks. Despite this,...
Venturing into the unknown
With distributions down since the internet bust, exit doors shut and fundraising at a standstill, the venture capital industry in the US - and elsewhere - is at a crossroads. Smaller firms, lower returns and adapting to a global market are the next likely...