Southern Europe
IdeA launches €100m cleantech fund
IdeA Capital Funds has launched a €100m vehicle which will invest in early-stage companies in the cleantech sector.
Advent closes €100m Tinsa buyout
Private equity giant Advent International has closed a €100m deal to buy a 94.5% stake in Spanish real estate ratings agency Tinsa.
Isle of Man pitches for business in the new PE environment
It may seem counter-intuitive, in a particularly bleak fundraising environment, to be heavily promoting the latest iteration of a specialist tax-efficient fund structure, but that is what the Isle of Man has been doing. Julian Longhurst investigates.
Platina acquires 10 Italian solar plants
Renewable energy specialist Platina Partners has acquired 10MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in Italy from family-owned construction firm the Degennaro Group.
Intel Summit: The future of tech investment
The Intel Capital CEO summit not only shed a light on future technology but also brought back some well known faces. Emanuel Eftimiu reports.
Carried interest tax debate re-kindled
Carried interest earned by private equity GPs is taxed as capital gains, not as income: that’s just the way it is. The Obama administration promised to end this tax break, but the reform was quietly swept under the carpet. However, the debate looks...
unquote" mobile site launched
unquote” has launched a mobile friendly version of its website, allowing subscribers to check on all the latest deal and industry news while on the move.
Special report: unquote” Italia Private Equity Congress 2010
Economic policy, the continued strain of the recession and the importance of localism were issues high on the agenda at the fourth annual unquote” Italia Private Equity Congress.
Asia’s growing importance in European M&A
The sale process surrounding 3i portfolio company Hyva would not only be a major exit for the investor, but demonstrates the increasingly global nature of M&A. The proposed €600m sale has received interest from not only European private equity houses,...
Finance Wales leads £400,000 G-volution round
Finance Wales has led a £400,000 funding round for G-volution, a Newport-based firm which has developed a clean teach multi-fuel system.
A new dimension
Although the secondaries market has increased substantially in size over the past few years, little progress has been achieved in making transaction processes more efficient and transparent. This could be about to change as Emanuel Eftimiu finds out.
JC Flowers to inject €450m into Banca Cívica
American private equity firm JC Flowers is said to be in the final stages of an agreement with Spain's Banca Cívica to supply the firm with €450m of convertible debt securities.
PAI Partners in talks with SOS
PAI Partners could come to the rescue of SOS Corporación Alimentaria by providing the firm with the capital increase it requires to refinance its debt.
Big guns circle CVC-backed Mivisa
Five prominent buy-out houses are circling Mivisa, the portfolio company of their private equity rival CVC Capital Partners.
Sources: Lion Capital could buy Restauravia
British private equity firm Lion Capital has expressed an interest in buying restaurant chain Restauravia from current owners Corpfin, according to sources.
Corsabe takes break from private equity
Corporación Sant Bernat (Corsabe) has decided to leave private equity investing and has changed its business structure to that of a limited company.
Ibersuizas said to have sold MD Anderson
Ibersuizas is thought to have finalised its sale of MD Anderson España, the Spanish subsidiary of the MD Anderson Cancer Centre of Houston, according to reports.
Permira and AXA P.E. circle private equity-backed Opodo
Permira and AXA Private Equity are among the potential buyers of Opodo, the online travel unit of Amadeus IT Holding, according to sources.
Apax tech disposal marks venture exit
Apax Partners has sold much of its remaining venture portfolio, marking its exit from European early-stage investing. While it was once one of the largest investors in UK venture, the firm has been winding down its early-stage operations for many years.
Southern Europe unquote" Nov/Dec 2010
European Parliament negotiators last week agreed on the final text of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM) Directive, bringing 18 months of discussion to an end.
The Silver Lining
The cost of the recession to private equity has been all too evident, but is there a silver lining? As we move into a period of increased movement on the exit front, some investors believe a greater understanding of what makes portfolio companies tick...
Impax announces second closing of new fund
Impax Asset Management Group plc has announced the second closing of its European renewable energy fund Impax New Energy Investors II, having raised €259m of commitments.
Riverside closes latest fund on €420m
The Riverside Company has closed its Riverside Europe Fund IV on €420m.
Suanfarma sells Halotech to ST Technologies
Suanfarma has exited biotechnology company Halotech DNA via a trade sale to Sexing Technologies, a business that specialises in the gender identification of beef-cattle semen.