The must-read stories of 2016

To say 2016 has been a momentous year would be quite the understatement. Reflecting on the past 12 months during our recent end-of-year roundtable, Livingbridge's Wol Kolade said it could be the year that would come to define the next 10, and it is hard to disagree with that statement. The most obvious seismic shift was the Brexit referendum vote on 23 June. The rest of the year brought its fair share of other external disruptions, from the shock of the US elections in November to yet another political crisis in Italy - but the referendum result ushered in a period of uncertainty that is likely to affect not only the UK private equity industry, most directly, but also the European market as a whole.

The overall picture is one of a European market that is harder to map out and more complex to navigate for international investors. And yet, despite this backdrop of market jitters and considerable uncertainty ahead, the consensus is that the past 12 months have been strong on the fundraising front. Several players across the board - including UK mid-market mainstays - raised significant amounts of capital for their latest vehicles, sometimes right as the EU referendum vote results unfolded.

This is one silver lining of 2016: despite, and some would argue because of, everything going on in the wider political and investment world, private equity has yet again proven how attractive it is to the vast swathes of capital looking for a home in the current low-yield environment. This is testament to the inherent strengths of the asset class, but also the skills, depth and success displayed by European practitioners. The crop of current challenges are likely to substantially put these qualities to the test in the coming months.

unquote"  looks forward to reporting on these interesting times ahead. On behalf of the whole team, I would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you a very fruitful New Year.

Greg Gille
Online editor, unquote"