The Aureos Africa Fund has completed a USD10m investment in HFC Bank Ghana, a commercial and retail bank based in Ghana. The Aureos Africa Fund is managed by Aureos Capital, a private equity fund management company specialising in investing in small and medium sized businesses in emerging markets. This investment

Sciens Capital Management has held a final close for the Sciens Aviation Special Opportunities Fund, having raised a total of USD213m, primarily from institutional investors. The fund is managed by an affiliate of Apollo Aviation Group, a commercial aircraft investment and asset manager jointly owned by its founders William Hoffman

Centerbridge Capital Partners has formed CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries by closing on concurrent acquisitions of Rock Bottom Restaurants and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group.  The companies will operate as subsidiaries of CraftWorks and will retain their brands.  The combined business will be an operator and franchisor of brewery and craft

Yorkville Advisors, the US-based alternative investment manager, has entered into a ZAR50m standby equity distribution agreement on behalf of one of its funds with Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed 1Time Holdings, the parent company of a low-fare airline operating in South Africa. The deal was advised out of London. 1Time entered

Deal activity in the financial services sector is showing signs of recovery as bank restructuring continues to accelerate and private equity firms start to play a bigger role in the sector again for the first time since the economic crisis. According to the forthcoming European Financial Services M&A Insight report

Funds advised by Apax Partners have agreed to sell their majority stake in Ifco Systems to the Australian logistics company Brambles for EUR13.50 per share. Apax acquired the stake in Ifco Systems in November 2003 through the purchase of shares listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

Olympus Partners has sold Ann’s House of Nuts, a manufacturer of private label and branded snack nut and trail mix products.  Olympus has owned Ann’s since July 2008. Rob Morris of Olympus Partners says: “We are very pleased with this outcome. The Ann’s management team has done an extraordinary job

American Capital, a private equity firm and asset manager, has given notice today to the holders of its secured debt due in 2013 that it will voluntarily prepay USD107m of the debt on 29 November 2010.   With this prepayment, the amount outstanding under the secured debt will be less than