Southern Europe
PE takes key role in financial services consolidation
With Cinvenтs acquisition of Guardian Financial Services this week, we are once again reminded of the pressure facing financial services organisations and the opportunities this presents for private equity investors.
Moulton: Industry mergers to create fewer, larger players
A tumultuous few years as well as increased legislation will lead to the consolidation of the industry into a smaller number of larger buyout houses via mergers. Unquoteтs Kimberly Romaine talks to Jon Moulton, Chairman of Better Capital.
Explorer in talks to acquire Inspecentro
Portuguese buyout house Explorer Investments is contemplating the acquisition of the entire share capital of motor vehicle inspection company Inspecentro.
Investindustrial pours water on Ducati sale speculation
Investindustrial has poured water on speculation that it is planning to float Italian motorcycle business Ducati in Hong Kong next year.
UK activity surges in July after slow start
Following a rather lacklustre start to 2011, the UK has seen a sudden spike in private equity investment activity this summer, and professionals will be hopeful this can continue through the rest of the year.
Intel Capital launches Ultrabook Fund
Intel Capital, the private equity arm of computing hardware provider Intel, has announced the launch of its Ultrabook Fund with a $300m target.
Fondo Italiano acquires 25% of TrueStar
Fondo Italiano has acquired a 25% stake in TrueStar Group, an Italian company that offers baggage wrapping services at airports.
Fondo Italiano invests €10m in Eco Eridania
Fondo Italiano d'Investimento, a public-private partnership which is backed by the Italian government, has subscribed €10m to the capital increase carried out by Eco Eridania.
Vista Capital looking to sell Indas
Vista Capital de Expansión are looking to divest sanitary pad maker Indas.
Landon invests €3.5m in Sercotel
Landon Investments, the venture capital arm of Grupo Corporativo Landon, has invested €3.5m in Spanish hotel chain Sercotel via a capital increase, thus upping its stake to 70%.
A third of deals in doubt from September
Recent changes to the Takeover Code would have impacted 32% of UK deals since 2005. But if properly considered, P2Ps will still be do-able. Kimberly Romaine reports.
VCs invest another $26m in Groupalia
Index Ventures, Caixa Capital Risc, Nauta Capital, General Atlantic and Insight Venture Partners have subscribed to a $26m capital increase carried out by Spanish discounts website Groupalia.
GCRPV backs Azcue with €1m
Gestión de Capital Riesgo del País Vasco (GCRPV), the venture arm of the Basque Country government, has backed the Basque Country's Azcue y Cia with a €1m investment.
GCRPV leads €750,000 Goialde round
Gestión de Capital Riesgo del País Vasco (GCRPV), the venture arm of the Basque Country government, has led a €750,000 funding round for Basque firm Goialde.
GCRPV leads €750,000 Goialde round
Gestión de Capital Riesgo del País Vasco (GCRPV), the venture arm of the Basque Country government, has led a €750,000 funding round for Basque firm Goialde.
GCRPV injects €1.1m in GMTK
Gestión de Capital Riesgo del País Vasco (GCRPV), the venture arm of the Basque Country government, has injected €1.125m into Basque company GMTK.
GCRPV invests €1m in Sagola
Gestión de Capital Riesgo del País Vasco (GCRPV), the venture arm of the Basque Country government, has invested €1m in Basque business Sagola.
Caixa Capital Risc invests in zero2infinity
Caixa Capital Risc, the venture capital division of Spain’s La Caixa savings bank, has invested in Barcelona-based aerospace company zero2infinity.
Investitori Associati exits La Rinascente
A consortium comprising Investitori Associati, Deutsche Bank Real Estate Global Opportunities (DBGO), Prelios and Boletti Group have sold La Rinascente for €205m.
3i sells Mosaicon stake
Private equity house 3i has sold its 58.37% stake in leather goods distributor Mosaicon to Antichi Pellettieri for €7.5m.
Fondo Italiano invests in Sanlorenzo
Fondo Italiano di Investimento (FII) has participated in a €30m capital increase for Italian yacht builder Sanlorenzo SpA.
Clave Mayor-backed Papas Vicente Vidal buys Aperitivos Gus
Papas Vicente Vidal, a Spanish family business recently acquired by Clave Mayor and Sodena-backed APEX, has purchased 100% of snacks manufacturer Aperitivos Gus.
Interview: Javier Echarri
Having spent 10 years at the helm of the European Venture Capital Association (EVCA), Javier Echarri is roundly considered one of the world's most influential people in private equity. He talks to Susannah Birkwood about the AIFMD, national trade bodies...
Investindustrial and Alpha exit Permasteelisa for €600m
Private equity firms Investindustrial and Alpha Group have sold Italian architectural and engineering business Permasteelisa to JS Group for €573m, or 7.6x EBITDA.