Europe
LP interview: Unigestion
Asia’s rising levels of private equity talent offer enticing growth prospects for Unigestion’s wealth management clients, but enforcing discipline among emerging markets managers remains a challenge
Cathay reaches $358m first close for second VC fund
Cathay Innovation, the venture affiliate of middle-market focused Cathay Capital Private Equity, has reached a first close of EUR320 million ($358 million) on its second fund targeting start-ups in China, Europe, and North America.
Sovereign wealth: Getting creative on co-investment
Sovereign wealth funds are dialing up their direct exposure to technology and healthcare start-ups, but this trend is accompanied by a varied collection of co-investment models
Hillhouse buys whisky producer Loch Lomond Group
Hillhouse Capital has acquired Scotland-based whisky producer Loch Lomond Group with a view to helping the company expand its presence in Asia.
LP interview: Natixis
Natixis Investment Managers is leveraging a novel affiliate-manager structure to grow fund exposure in Asia in a sustainable way. Alternatives, and increasingly private equity, are driving much of the progress
TPG backs European jewelry brand with strong China focus
A TPG Capital-led consortium will acquire a 30% stake in APM Monaco, a jewelry brand that was established in Europe nearly 40 years ago and now has its largest retail footprint in China.
RRJ takes full ownership of Gategroup from HNA
RRJ Capital has agreed to take full ownership of Gategroup, an airline catering provider owned by troubled Chinese conglomerate HNA Group.
CICC-TPG fund acquires French auto supplier
China Synergy Fund, the dual currency investment vehicle established earlier this year by TPG Capital and CICC Capital, has agreed to acquire Electropoli, a provider of surface treatment services, from French automotive conglomerate Impala Group.
China's CIC launches fund with Eurazeo, BNP
China Investment Corporation (CIC) has teamed up with France-based GP Eurazeo and BNP Paribas to launch a Europe-China growth fund with a target corpus of EUR1-1.5 billion ($1.1-1.7 billion).
Australia's Brambles offloads crates business to ADIA, Triton
Australian container supplier Brambles has agreed to sell its global reusable plastic crates (RPC) business to Europe-based GP Trion and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for $2.5 billion.
BaltCap, JBIC launch $113m Europe-Japan VC fund
Estonian private equity firm BaltCap and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have launched a EUR100 million ($113 million) Europe-Asia cross-border VC fund with a focus on Japan.
LionRock buys stake in Italian football club Inter Milan
Asian private equity investor LionRock Capital has agreed to buy a minority stake in Italian football club Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan), which has been controlled by Chinese electronics retailer Suning since 2016.
Profile: EmergeVest's Heath Zarin
Heath Zarin has taken EmergeVest out of the Asian private equity mainstream, leveraging a specialist strategy and operational expertise to create the UK’s largest private logistics business
Japan's SBI invests $15m in Swiss blockchain player
SBI Crypto Investment, a unit of Japan’s SBI Holdings formed to back digital asset-focused start-ups, has invested $15 million in Tangem, a Switzerland-based producer of blockchain smart card wallets.
Natixis merges regional PE units
The asset management business of Natixis has launched a global private equity firm by merging three existing PE affiliates, including Singaporean fund-of-funds Eagle Asia Partners.
Fosun-owned Club Med operator raises $427m in HK IPO
Fosun Tourism Group (FTG), which operates holiday resorts under the Club Méditerranée (Club Med) brand, has raised HK$3.34 billion ($427 million) through its Hong Kong IPO.
FountainVest-backed consortium makes tender offer for Amer
A consortium including FountainVest Partners and Chinese sportswear retailer Anta Sports has won board support for a EUR4.6 ($5.23 billion) tender offer for Finland-listed Amer Sports, which owns brands such as Salomon, Atomic, and Louisville Slugger.
Hong Kong's EmergeVest consolidates UK logistics assets
Hong Kong-based EmergeVest – a PE firm established by former executives from HSBC’s Asia principal investments division – has consolidated ownership of six UK logistics assets into a single platform with GBP850 million ($1 billion) in annual revenue.
Family offices: Character actors
Family offices are driven by personalities and ideals that cannot be understood as part of an industry pattern. Relationship building is therefore more intimate than transactional
LP interview: Sweden's AP2
Swedish pension fund AP2 could be about to see a significant jump in its private equity allocation. Head of alternatives Anders Strömblad outlines what the organization looks for in prospective portfolio GPs
Chinese GP buys Germany's Cordenka for $274m
BMC Europe Fund I, a PE vehicle launched earlier this year with support from Shanghai International Group (SIG), has completed its first investment with the acquisition of German industrial textiles manufacturer Cordenka for EUR240 million ($274 million).
Digital tools essential for modern day due diligence - AVCJ Forum
PE and VC investors in Asia are becoming more sophisticated in their approach to due diligence, with digital tools an increasingly important part of the skill set, the AVCJ Forum heard.
Quadrant-backed APM acquires UK-based WD Services
Advanced Personnel Management (APM), an Australian disability services provider purchased by Quadrant Private Equity last year, has acquired UK-based employment program operator WD Services.
Jungle co-leads $29m round for UK AI developer
Jungle Ventures has joined UK-based venture capital firm Lakestar to lead a $29 million Series A round for Engineer.ai, a developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software development tools.
