Weekly round-up: rolling out the red carpet

Compared to the hardened view of private equity taken by some European governments, the UK gives the industry a relatively warm welcome. But with innovative policies developing abroad and the stars-and-stripes approach adopted by competitive governments, the UK must not rest on its laurels. unquote" discussed rolling out the red carpet for the industry with BVCA's Tim Hames, French minister delegate for SMEs Fleur Pellerin, Conservative MP George Freeman and leading investors. 

According to a study, 46% of leveraged buyouts in the UK last year involved non-bank debt. unquote" analysed the strengths and weaknesses of traditional versus alternative lenders. With reliability and flexibility at the forefront of GPs' minds in an ever-evolving market, alternative lenders seem to pip bureaucratic traditional lenders to the post. Dougal Bennett, partner at Dunedin, says: "Over the last few years it has been the case that what is actually delivered on the day is slightly different to what was discussed. Banks have let private equity down at the 11th hour." But will a limited track record be a deal-breaker? See today's top story to find out what industry professionals think in our second instalment. 

It may come as a surprise to hear that Italy was home to the strongest market debut of 2013. Perhaps unsurprisingly given its inexorable pull on investors, the company in question operates in the luxury goods sector. unquote" explored international and local GPs' thirst for Italian luxury goods – a sector that has caught the eye of big-buck investors from the Middle East – and outlined investment trends within the area. 

That's all from me this week but if you have any comments on this week's analysis, please send your thoughts to amy.king@incisivemedia.com

You can continue to follow me and the rest of the unquote" team via @unquotenews for all the latest private equity and venture capital updates, and of course on unquote.com.

Amy King
Senior Reporter, unquote"

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