Analysis
Video: Pantheon's Hadass talks fund selection
Nowadays current portfolio performance is a strong gauge of future fund performance. Kimberly Romaine interviews Pantheon's Leon Hadass.
LP interview: SL Capital's Graeme Gunn
LP Interview
Nordics see strongest first quarter since Lehman
Despite reputational, regulatory, and macroeconomic concerns lingering from the second half of 2011, the Nordics has experienced its strongest first quarter since Lehman Brothers collapsed and brought the global economy to its knees.
French turnarounds suffer from narrow GP base
As in most European countries, one could have thought that the morose economic environment would be a boon for French turnaround specialists.
UK PE market defies recession
While the UK officially entered a double dip recession this morning, its private equity market has defied the gloom and is once again showing growth.
Video: Government raises pressure on Bribery Act
The Bribery Act makes it a corporate offence if a business with a UK presence fails to prevent a bribe.
German insolvency reform to boost turnarounds
Germany has recently reformed its insolvency law with the introduction of ESUG, the Act for Further Facilitation of the Reorganisation of Enterprises, which promises to make it easier for businesses to get out of administration and back on their feet....
SVCA conference tackles industry reputation
Regulation and reputation were top of the agenda as private equity professionals gathered for the SVCA conference in Stockholm. Sonnie Ehrendal reports
Regulation update: FATCA
In this week's regulation update, Anneken Tappe takes a look at the impact of FATCA in Europe.
CEE Congress: regional banks lose ground to debt funds
Regional CEE banks are expected to lose ground to specialist debt funds in the local leverage market, according to a sentiment survey for the unquote” CEE Congress in London this morning.
Pledge funds not a panacea, says SJ Berwin’s Sonya Pauls
Speaking at the annual unquote" CEE Private Equity Congress in London today, SJ Berwin partner Sonya Pauls highlighted the advantages of the currently popular deal-by-deal fundraising model, but also warned about its shortcomings.
Fundraising tales reveal market split
The post-crisis fundraising market may be deemed one of the toughest ever, but not all GPs can rely on the same formula to succeed, as Chequers Capital and Blackfin Capital Partners explained at the annual AFIC conference in Paris last week. Greg Gille...
Larger UK buyouts pick up in Q1
Larger buyout activity is picking up pace once again after suffering in late 2011, according to the latest finding of the unquote” UK Watch, in association with Corbett Keeling.
Investindustrial nears €1.25bn hard cap
Southern European GP Investindustrial is in the final stretch of raising its fifth fund, with more than €1bn in commitments already. Kimberly Romaine reports
Tax breaks "not enough" to boost creative investments
George Osborne recently announced tax breaks for UK-based gaming, animation and high-end TV production as part of his latest budget. The move has been well-received by the creative industries, but one VC professional questions the impact its narrow focus...
CEE activity: bottomed out?
Next week’s CEE unquote” Congress will reveal reader sentiment for CEE prospects.
Lenders urge GPs to talk about refinancing
The well-documented 2014 “wall of debt” is pushing many GPs down the refinancing route. Easier said than done given the current lending climate – but early birds could stand a better chance of catching the proverbial worm. Greg Gille reports
Corporates make push into venture capital
As Europe’s newest corporate venture fund makes it first investment, figures suggest corporates are making a heavy push into early-stage financing. Greg Gille investigates.
PE-backed floats stage a comeback
The Ziggo float – and strong post-float performance – illustrates that PE can still pull off a strong exit on the public markets. Kimberly Romaine talks with Warburg Pincus’ Joe Schull about strategies for floating a business in today’s market.
Business Growth Fund: Myth versus reality
The newest kid on the block – made up of lots of the old boys in the industry – is struggling to make friends. People say the Business Growth Fund (BGF) is too big and too threatening. But is the BGF’s reputation warranted? Kimberly Romaine investigates
unquote" regulation update: Dodd-Frank
In this week's unquote" regulation update, Anneken Tappe looks at the latest developments regarding the Dodd-Frank Act.
Queen abdicates, predicts "new peak" for PE
The departure of 3i CEO Michael Queen is the end of an era, but not the end of the industry.
LP Spotlight: Fondinvest Capital
Fondinvest Capital partners Charles Soulignac and Catherine Lewis La Torre talk to John Bakie about the demands of LPs in the post-crisis environment and the rapid growth of secondary fund investments.
Bank investments in PE down 69%
Anecdotal evidence highlights that PE houses cannot rely on banks and insurance companies to raise the bulk of their funds anymore. Data from French association AFIC backs this up with worrying numbers. Greg Gille reports