EQT has agreed to acquire UK-based private equity firm Coller Capital in a transaction valued at up to $3.7bn, marking the Swedish buyout group’s entry into the private capital secondaries market, according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires.
Under the terms of the deal, EQT will pay a base consideration of $3.2bn, funded through the issuance of new EQT ordinary shares. An additional earn-out of up to $500m will be payable in cash, subject to the achievement of certain performance milestones.
Founded in 1990, Coller Capital is a specialist in private capital secondaries and manages close to $50bn in assets across institutional, private wealth and insurance-related strategies.
EQT said the acquisition represents a strategic expansion of its platform, reflecting growing client demand for liquidity solutions and more flexible portfolio construction tools.
EQT chief executive Per Franzén described secondaries as an increasingly important component of private markets investing, noting that the transaction creates significant long-term growth opportunities for both firms.
He added that EQT expects the combination to more than double the size of Coller Capital’s business within four years following completion of the deal.
