Southern Europe
General Motors launches venture fund
General Motors has launched a $100m venture capital fund, targeting automotive-related technologies.
German industry: Getting the European economy working
Manufacturing is one of the most important sectors in the German economy, and the country's heavy industry base seems to be experiencing a revival as the global economy improves. As Europe's biggest manufacturer, the health of German industry is also...
AXA Private Equity's Sfinc acquires JADICO
AXA Private Equity's portfolio company Sfinc, a Belgian manufacturer of ingredients for the food processing industry, has acquired Netherlands-based JADICO.
CGS Management's Automatik in CHF 200m merger
CGS Management's German portfolio company Automatik Plastic Machinery has completed a CHF 200m merger with Swiss-based Maag Pump Systems, a gear pump manufacturer.
bcnHighgrowth invests €2m in Oonair
bcnHighgrowth has provided a €2m investment to expand media content company Oonair.
WorldPay: Bidders line up for quality asset
While European buyout activity has been on the up in early 2010, it has been largely restricted to mid-market deals: larger buyouts have hardly been seen since the financial crisis erupted, which makes the bidding war for RBS Global Merchant Services...
Renewable energy: When will activity match the spin?
There is clearly a buzz around the cleantech space in general and the renewable energy market in particular. And why not? After all if we are to face up to the challenges presented by global climate change we will need to invest massively in this area...
GED Capital acquires a stake in Bio-Oils
GED Capital has acquired a share in Huelva-headquartered biodiesel company Bio-Oils.
Fundraising: Funds trickle into the market
A raft of funds have recently closed, but it may come as a surprise to discover they broke their initial targets in a tough fundraising environment. HitecVision, Phoenix and Polaris have all successfully raised the capital they needed to start their latest...
HitecVision Asset Solutions closes on $420m
HitecVision has closed its latest fund at $420, more than $100 over its original target after four months of fundraising.
Southern Europe: Investing in family value
Investindustrial's Carlo Umberto Bonomi speaks to Francinia Protti-Alvarez about the private equity market in Spain and Italy. He says the market is extremely promising, despite having faced difficulties in recent years.
Southern Europe unquote" June 2010
While Southern Europe, particularly Spain, has seen a surge in private equity activity in recent weeks, the region continues to face substantial challenges.
Scottish Widows adds Narcisa Sehovic to its PE team
Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) has hired Narcisa Sehovic as private equity investment manager for the Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe and Italian regions.
Wise divests Mar-Ter; generates 2.8x returns
Italian mid-market investor Wise Sgr, has divested its stake in logistics operator Mar-Ter Spedizioni, to Italian public investment firm, Mid Industry Capital Spa.
bcnHighgrowth invests €1m in Migoa
Spanish VC, bcnHighgrowth, has injected €1m into technology company Migoa, developers of nuroa.es, a real estate search engine.
Berchmann Capital leads €1.2m round for Genolab
Berchmann Capital has led a €1.2m series-A round for medical diagnostics company Genolab.
Morgan Stanley’s secondaries fund exceeds $500m target
Morgan Stanley's Global Secondary Opportunities Fund, has raised $585m, exceeding its $500m initial target.
AIFM Directive: The end is nigh
European finance ministers approved the Alternative Investment Fund Managers’ (AIFM) Directive yesterday, more than a year after the controversial regulations were first proposed. Despite this long process, many of the private equity industry’s objections...
Milbank hires Rinne for new antitrust practice in Germany
Law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has appointed antitrust lawyer Dr Alexander Rinne as partner in its Munich office.
Permira puts forward bid for Panrico
Permira has placed a bid to buy Panrico, a Spanish bun and pastry company, reports suggest.
Deutsche promotes Bagshaw to head of PE unit
Adam Bagshaw has reportedly been promoted to head of Deutsche Bank's private equity unit, replacing Rob Firth, who left the bank last month to join Bank of America Merrill Lynch.