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 2011 and the busiest year since 2007, according to Dealogic. A majority of CFOs (68 per cent) expect the US markets to see a majority of deal volume, followed by the Asia-Pacific market (20 per cent) and Latin America market (seven per cent). Retail CFOs also forecast robust IPO activity

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 Leeds-based NorthEdge, which has GBP182m currently under management. The firm’s maiden fund achieved first close in summer 2012. Stockport-based FPE Global develops bespoke materials-handling processing systems with proven applications in a range of high-growth end markets including sugar, cement, chemicals and energy from waste. The business has developed a market-leading

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 per cent respectively), while North America dropped 13 per cent and Asia Pacific decreased 16 per cent. At the close of 2012, optimism returned to the M&A climate. The Q2 2012 DFI anticipated that dealmaking would see an increase several months down the line, as early-stage M&A had risen dramatically.

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 acquisition, Hamilton Lane will continue to provide investment services to SCM’s institutional private equity clients. The acquisition of SCM will also allow Hamilton Lane to assist actively with the management, processing and disposition of newly-public portfolio company securities, thereby providing more sophisticated stock distribution management as an ancillary offering to

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 will be an independent firm with the senior management team, portfolio managers and other employees owning a significant amount of the outstanding equity. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter. As of 31 December 2012, Victory managed and advised approximately USD22.1bn in equity and fixed income assets

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 advanced education in paediatric dentistry, staff that has training for and experience in treating and interacting with children, and a suite of high-quality oral health services including dentistry, orthodontics and oral surgery. Dr Aaron Reeves, Kids Care founder and chairman, will remain a partner and continue as a board member.

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 of the largest mobile insurance platforms in the world, reaching and protecting nearly four million people in Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The total equity investment amounts to USD7m of which USD4.25m comes from LeapFrog, and the remainder from existing shareholders.   Both investment firms are backing

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 for the long-term expansion plans of the company. In total, the financial commitment of Green Gateway Fund is CHF7.2m. The second tranche is expected in 2013. With the cleaning of tanks and ships, the remediation of oil-contaminated land or the separation and recycling of oil from waste streams, OTI Greentech