Ogier partner Nicholas Plowman, with senior associate Richard Bennett in the firm’s Hong Kong office, has acted as British Virgin Islands counsel to All-Stars Investment Cayman Limited in relation to the establishment and offering of All-Stars XMI Limited as a private equity fund raising vehicle investing in a USD1.1 billion capital raising by Xiaomi Corporation by way of series F financing. The USD1 billion of investment marked China’s largest TMT deal of 2014 and the largest ever private placement of a China-based technology company. As a result of this financing, Xiaomi is now the highest valued technology start-up in the

Palatine Private Equity has backed the secondary buyout of holiday park group Verdant Leisure. Verdant currently operates four holiday parks based in Southern Scotland and North East England with over 2,100 pitches, comprising of privately owned lodges and holiday homes, holiday lettings and touring facilities.  Established in September 2010 by an experienced management team led by CEO Graham Hodgson, Verdant has capitalised on the growing trend towards ‘staycations’ in the UK. To date the team has acquired four parks comprising of Thurston Manor and Pease Bay in September 2010, Viewfield Manor in July 2011 and Riverside in January 2012.  Palatine

Conscious of the ongoing fight against inequality and as part of its commitment to socially responsible investment, Idinvest Partners has decided to support several charitable organisations by working with an intermediary organisation, Epic Foundation. Idinvest will initially support two specific initiatives through the foundation, Simplon.co and Sport dans la Ville.   Christophe Bavière, CEO of Idinvest, says that: “Idinvest was enormously impressed by the Epic Foundation’s operational model. Modern and transparent, it gives donors complete visibility on the use of their donations and the impact they have. This trusting relationship is critical for all parties involved. It forms the basis

UK venture capital investor Albion Ventures has held the early close of the Albion VCTs Prospectus Top Up Offers after raising GBP36 million across its six venture capital trusts.  The Offers targeted a monthly tax-free income of around 6 per cent p.a. (for investors who invested equally across all Offers), equivalent to approximately 8.5 per cent on the net cost of investment after up-front tax relief at 30 per cent. Investors in the Offers also have the option to boost their capital growth by participating in the dividend reinvestment schemes (DRIS), under which dividends are reinvested in the form of

Three private equity experts are partnering to form LendTech Capital Partners (LendTech), a new investment advisor focused on private equity strategies within the marketplace lending industry.  LendTech has been established pursuant to a joint venture between affiliates of Liberum, a London based investment bank who conceived Europe's first institutional investor in marketplace loans in 2013 and has raised over USD1.9 billion for marketplace lending funds and platforms; Ranger Alternative Management II, LP, an investment advisor which manages two leading direct lending funds, The Ranger Specialty Income Fund and the Ranger Direct Lending Fund, the latter which is publicly traded on

The corporate team in Clyde & Co's Tanzania office has advised Silafrica Plastics and Packaging International Limited on the successful investment by AfricInvest Fund III. Silafrica has operations in Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and India. The group has been operating since the 1960s providing plastics and packaging solutions to a wide variety of sectors.   Prior to the investment, Silafrica was wholly-owned by the Sumaria Group, a conglomerate with interests in numerous industries across Africa.   The Clyde & Co team acting on this transaction (as both international counsel and local Tanzanian counsel) was led by Michael Strain and included

Ropes & Gray advised HongDao Advisors (HongDao) on the successful closing of three of its recent investment transactions. Ropes & Gray acted as HongDao’s legal counsel on all three transactions. In February 2016, HongDao investment funds invested over USD 10 million in Lagou Information Limited and subscribed for newly issued Series C preferred shares of the company. Lagou Information Limited is a company focused on online human resources solutions in China.   Earlier in January 2016, HongDao investment funds also closed an investment in WeBus Holding Ltd. HongDao invested over USD8 million by purchasing outstanding shares from the existing shareholders and

Investment banking boutique Zeus Capital has acted as nominated adviser (NOMAD), joint broker and joint bookrunner to student accommodation construction specialist Watkin Jones Plc on its GBP255 million AIM IPO, including a GBP131 million fundraise.  The directors of Watkin Jones intend to pay an annual dividend equating to a yield of 6 per cent, calculated on the placing price.   This follows a buoyant 12 months for the firm, which has advised on a number of high profile transactions including the GBP1.2 billion reverse takeover and IPO of BCA Marketplace, the GBP200 million reverse takeover of Matthew Clark Limited by

Barclays has formed a partnership with the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA), to support its Birmingham Eagle Labs Incubator.  The partnership will see the bank and UKBAA- the trade body for angel and early stage investing- pioneer new Angel Hubs, by including local angel investors in Barclays’ new network of entrepreneurial spaces. The intention is that through the collaboration, entrepreneurs will have access to a range of experts for mentorship and guidance around topics such as funding, as well as access to physical space in which to develop their business ideas and to grow.   Richard Heggie, Head of High