Blackstone’s private equity funds are to acquire a 60% majority stake in CMIC, one of Japan’s leading contract research organisations (CRO) with CMIC Holdings retaining the remaining 40% ownership of the drug trials company.

UK energy company Shell is weighing the sale of its chemicals assets in Europe and the US, a move that could attract interest from private equity firms looking to expand in the sector, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Private equity firm Blackstone and Canadian pension fund Omers are both seeking to offload healthcare services investments in multi-billion dollar deals, according to a report by the Financial Times citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

BGF, one of the largest and most experienced growth capital investors in the UK and Ireland, has completed a significant multi‐million-pound investment in award winning, OCL Vision, a premium ophthalmology group.

Unique, a tech firm focused on creating a specialised agentic AI platform for financial firms, has raised $30m in a Series A funding round led by DN Capital and CommerzVentures, taking total fundraising to $53m since the company’s launch in 2021.

Aquiline, a private investment firm specialising in financial services and technology, is to acquire SEI’s Family Office Services business for $120m. Following the transaction’s close, which is expected to take place on 30 June, the business will operate as Archway.

German advertising group Stroeer’s attempt to sell its multi-billion-euro outdoor advertising business has hit a roadblock as two private equity bidders KKR and Hellman & Friedman walked away from negotiations due to valuation disagreements, according to a report by Reuters.