Nearly all retail chief financial officers (94 per cent) expect merger and acquisition (M&A) activity will increase or remain steady in 2013, according to a survey from BDO USA. CFOs’ bullish forecasts follow USD324.6bn in global retail and consumer M&A activity in 2012, which was up 33 per cent over

NorthEdge Capital, the private equity firm focused on backing businesses based in the North of England, has completed its maiden deal after investing for a significant majority stake in FPE Global, a high-growth specialist engineering firm with an international customer base. The deal is the first investment by Manchester and

The IntraLinks Deal Flow Indicator (DFI), which tracks global sell-side merger and acquisition (M&A) mandates and deals reaching the due diligence stage prior to public announcement, shows an overall decrease of two per cent between Q3 and Q4 2012. EMEA and Latin America showed increases (13 per cent and 19

Hamilton Lane, a private equity asset management firm, has acquired Shott Capital Management (SCM), a provider of private equity and distribution management services for institutional investors, including major public and private pension plans, foundations, endowments, and other financial institutions. The firm has offices in San Francisco and Boston. With the

Private equity firm Crestview Partners has teamed up with employees of Victory Capital Management to acquire the firm for USD246m from KeyCorp. Private equity firm Crestview Partners has teamed up with employees of Victory Capital Management to acquire the firm for USD246m from KeyCorp. On completion of the transaction, Victory

Private equity firm Sterling Partners has partnered with Kids Care Dental Group, a multi-unit paediatric dental care practice that serves toddlers, children and teens. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Via six office locations throughout the Sacramento area, Kids Care offers a comfortable and fun environment, dentists with

LeapFrog Investments, the world’s largest investor in insurance for emerging consumers, has invested in BIMA. Launched in 2010 by Kinnevik, an emerging markets investor, BIMA was built on the idea of bringing more affordable insurance to people in emerging markets via their mobile phones. Eighteen months later, the firm is one

OTI Greentech Group, a provider of sustainable cleantech solutions, has closed a round of expansion financing, raising a total of CHF4m (EUR3.3m). The funding was led by Wermuth Asset Management’s Green Gateway Fund, which invests in energy and resource efficiency growth companies throughout Europe. The funding marks a solid base

Satori Capital, a Dallas-based private equity firm, has invested in Longhorn Health Solutions, a direct-to-home provider of consumable medical supplies, durable medical equipment and pharmaceutical prescriptions serving the Medicaid, Medicare and privately insured populations across Texas. “Longhorn is intently focused on reducing total cost-of-care for managed care organisations by streamlining