Europe
Headlines
Riverside ‘insures’ latest investment is a success
Riverside partners with ACTINEO, the leading German InsurTech Player specialized in bodily injury claims The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm, has partnered with ACTINEO, the leading German InsurTech Player specialized in bodily injury claims, providing tech-enabled and data-driven services to the insurance industry. Based...
The Finance Durham Fund celebrates two-year anniversary investing £3.4 million since inception
Maven managed Finance Durham Fund has invested £3.4 million since launching two years ago backing 10 local businesses to support growth ambitions and create jobs Maven establishes ‘Access to Finance’ workshop programme to help companies secure growth funding Finance Durham (“The Fund”), managed by Maven Capital Partners (“Maven”),...
GCA Altium reinforces Manchester team with hires and promotions
Global investment bank GCA Altium has strengthened its Manchester team with two promotions and two new hires. Mark Smith has been promoted to Director, after five years at GCA Altium. Mark has advised on over £700m of transactions in the last year, including the investment in UKFast by Inflexion in a £406m deal, and the sale of Sofology to DFS...
Tareck Safi joins H.I.G. Realty Partners as Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Debt in Europe
H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global alternative asset management firm with over $30 billion of equity capital under management, is pleased to announce that Tareck Safi has joined the firm’s real estate team as Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Debt. Tareck brings over 20 years of experience originating, structuring and investing...
T Bailey Fund Services strengthens board with appointment of independent non-executive director
Independent full-service fund administration service provider T Bailey Fund Services (TBFS) has appointed experienced governance professional Anna Troup to its Board of Directors. With more than 20 years' experience in the asset management sector, Mrs Troup is joining the Nottingham-based business as an independent Non-Executive Director (NED). Troup...
Finance
Why everybody is concerned about corporate-bond liquidity
IN SEPTEMBER 2007 Britain suffered its first bank run in a century. Television pictures showed a long queue of depositors outside a branch of Northern Rock. Alistair Darling watched in dismay from Portugal, where he and his fellow European Union finance ministers were gathered. “They’re behaving perfectly rationally, you know,” Mervyn King, the...
The choice of the IMF’s next boss could be a coronation
FOR THE purposes of decision-making, the IMF’s 189 member countries are divided into 24 constituencies of peculiar shapes and sizes. Ghana, for example, belongs to the same group as Afghanistan. Ecuador sits with East Timor. But in choosing the next boss after Christine Lagarde moves to the European Central Bank in October, the most decisive constituency...
A new study tracks the surge in Chinese loans to poor countries
LOAN TALKS with Belarus; funding for bridges in Liberia; a possible gas project in Timor-Leste; accusations of exploitation in Tanzania; a corporate dispute in India; pledges to support the Rwandan private sector. And that was just the past few weeks. Such is the frenetic pace of China’s overseas lending that its outstanding loans have risen...
To get a ticket to Wimbledon you must be rich, patient or lucky
ECONOMICS IS ALL about allocating scarce resources. Usually that is done by pricing. If demand for strawberries exceeds supply, prices will rise. Customers may switch to raspberries, or farmers may plant more strawberries. But some markets are more complex. Take those for tickets to popular events—like Wimbledon. The tournament is played over...
Recep Tayyip Erdogan sacks the head of Turkey’s central bank
TURKEY’S ECONOMY had just begun to show signs of recovery. High interest rates, a measure of calm following local elections earlier this year and attempts to rebuild a strained relationship with America had allowed the lira, which fell by 12% against the dollar in the first four months of the year, to strengthen. Inflation had fallen to 16%, from...
Legal
67% of law firms say skills shortages threaten growth
Despite the ongoing environment of geopolitical uncertainty, UK law firms remain optimistic about their growth prospects. That’s according to new research from specialist recruiter, Clayton Legal , which reveals that 66% of firms are looking to increase headcount over the next twelve months to contend with increased demand for their services. The...
Seedrs launches programme for financial intermediaries following record breaking Q3
The programme introduces wealthy individuals to early stage equity deals on Seedrs via their accountants, brokers and financial consultantsOver £3.6bn was invested into equity deals in the UK last year showing an increased appetite for startup investing45% of angels interviewed by the UKBAA about their early stage equity investments reported...
Lamont Pridmore warn high earners about HMRC raids
Higher rate taxpayers have been warned by leading Cumbrian accountants Lamont Pridmore to be vigilant over their tax affairs.The warning comes after new data from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) shows that its Affluent Unit took an additional £438 million pounds of high earners.Off the back of this success the Unit, which investigates the tax affairs of...
A Legal Perspective on the Government’s Brexit White Paper
Following pressure from sections of Parliament and the public, Theresa May’s government has published a 77-page white paper document to set out a strategy for leaving the EU. But what does it add to what we already know? Stephen Chater, a solicitor at Postlethwate Solicitors, member firm of the UK200Group, explains.The UK200Group is the UK’s leading...
32% law firms see private equity as a principal source of external funding
With growing competition from niche firms, law practices are actively seeking targeted acquisitions to scale-up in chosen disciplines. 32% see private equity as a principal source of external funding. Niche law firms seen as greatest source of competition. 59% of firms report a rise in competitive pressure. There is a sharp increase...
Deals
Stirling Square Capital partners acquires Logent Group
Stirling Square Capital Partners (“Stirling Square”), a leading pan-European mid-market private equity firm, today announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire Logent Holding AB (“Logent” or “the company”). The transaction is expected to close in June. Logent is the leading independent provider of customised contract logistics...
Paragon Group acquisitions further expands digital expertise
Paragon Group, the leading provider of customer communications, identification and graphics services, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Celerity Information Services, ORM and Graft Services in a multi-million-pound move. The purchase of the three businesses, with total turnover in excess of £30m, will further strengthen the company’s digital...
YFM Equity Partners backs the growth of elearning specialist Elucidat with £3.5m investment
Funds advised by YFM Equity Partners (“YFM”), the specialist private equity fund manager have backed an investment into Elucidat Limited, an elearning software business. The £3.5million investment from YFM’s advised funds will be used to accelerate product development so that Elucidat’s customers can produce learning content faster and...
77 transactions borne out of global fertility market since 2009, Livingstone finds – with 2018 being the busiest year
New analysis from the international mid-market M&A firm, Livingstone, reveals there have been 77 transactions in the global IVF and fertility treatment market since 2009. The research which analyses deals in the sector across 12 different countries also shows that M&A activity was at its highest level in 2018 – 22 transactions were completed last...
Bowmark sells Aston Lark to Goldman Sachs
Bowmark Capital, the mid-market private equity firm, has agreed to sell Aston Lark, a leading independent insurance broker, to Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur following receipt of approvals from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Central Bank of Ireland, and antitrust approval. Aston...
Acq Lite
How women can secure the investment they deserve
Women don’t ask for the investment that they need for their businesses; here is how to ask for more money and how to get it Earlier this year, the Treasury published its statistics on venture capital funding highlighting that within the UK, only 1p out of every £1 of venture capital goes to women-led start-ups. Comparatively, all-male founding...
Curious quokka licks cyclist's pedals in Western Australia
March 9 (UPI) -- A cyclist taking a break in Western Australia captured video of a curious quokka licking the pedals of her bicycle.Shannon Ducker said she was taking a break from cycling on Rottnest Island when the quokka approached her bicycle and started licking the pedals.Ducker captured video as the apparently hungry animal enjoyed the taste of...
Truck loses, drags two wheels on Oregon road
March 9 (UPI) -- A driver on an Oregon road captured video of a semi truck that somehow lost two wheels on a city road and dragged them for several yards.The video, filmed Monday on a street in Cornelius, shows the semi driving on a slow speed while dragging two wheels that somehow became separated from its trailer.The wheels drag behind the truck until...
Cat credited with rescuing Pennsylvania couple from fire
March 9 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania couple's pet cat is being hailed as a hero after alerting its owners to a late night fire that started inside their home.The McKeesport Fire Department said the couple were in bed about 1:30 a.m. Friday when their cat alerted them to something amiss inside their home."Fortunately, both were in bed at the time, and the...
IHOP announces breakfast-themed PancakeWear clothing line
March 9 (UPI) -- Restaurant chain IHOP announced the debut of its breakfast-themed clothing line, PancakeWear, created to benefit a children's charity.The eatery announced it will soon be offering onesies, loungepants and socks in adult and child sizes featuring breakfast-themed prints."The ultra-comfy PancakeWear by IHOP collection is the perfect accessory...