Allocations
The number of private equity (PE) backed deals for AIM companies has trebled in the last 12 months and the Covid-19 driven stock market fall could see this trend continue if AIM’s valuation gap with the main market grows, says accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO LLP.12 companies from AIM were acquired and taken private by PE funds in 2019/20, up from just four deals in 2018/19 (year end March 31).
BDO says that if the Covid-19 crisis impacts on share prices, AIM companies could see a repeat of previous cycles, when low AIM company valuations saw PE funds
By Mini vandePol, Asia Pacific Head of the Compliance and Investigations Practice, Anna Lamut, Registered Foreign Lawyer (New York, USA), and Claire Chen, Associate, Baker McKenzie – India is forecast to be the fastest growing economy among the G20 countries in 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Foreign companies and private equity funds, particularly those that hold a long-term view, will still find ample opportunities when this pandemic recedes, particularly in sectors such as health care, FMCG and financial services that are likely to withstand economic and social uncertainties over the long term.
However, India, like many emerging economies, presents a
More than 80 per cent of equity funding for UK blockchain startups has taken place since 2017, according to a new report by MMC Ventures, with bitcoin’s recent price rises reflecting increased adoption.
MMC’s newly released report on blockchain and crypto revealed that 60 per cent of UK blockchain companies have raised less than USD2 million in capital so far. Moreover, the UK has five times fewer blockchain companies than the US, and the equity investment has been 10 times lower overall.
“The current COVID-19 pandemic is likely to impact funding activity for all early-stage companies, Asen Kostadinov, the author of the
Appentra, a spin-off of La Coruña University, has raised EUR1.8 million in a new investment round led by Armilar Venture Partners and K Fund, also joined by Caixa Capital Risc, Xesgalicia and Unirisco, the investors that had already trusted the company since its very early stages. The new investors will bring a strong expertise as international VCs specialised in B2B software companies, and will help to fully realise Appentra’s vision.
Since its foundation, Appentra has become a reliable partner and software supplier among its customers in the United States, Saudi Arabia and Europe. Closing this round of investment successfully contributes to
TransFICC, a specialist provider of low-latency connectivity and workflow services for Fixed Income and Derivatives Markets, has closed its Series A investment round for GBP5.75 million.
Led by AlbionVC, it included new strategic investments from ING Ventures and HSBC.

The new investors join existing shareholders, Citi, Illuminate Financial, Main Incubator (the R&D unit of Commerzbank Group) and The FinLab.

The investment will be used to extend product and market coverage for existing and new clients. TransFICC’s current clients include five global investment banks and one global market data vendor.


TransFICC resolves the issue of market fragmentation by providing banks and
World Green Building Council, a global network of around 70 Green Building Councils, has announced a collaboration with GRESB, the leading global sustainability benchmark for real estate portfolios, to recognise companies that make a Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.The Commitment, which recognises businesses committed to ensuring their portfolio of buildings operate at net zero carbon by 2030, and advocate for all buildings to be net zero carbon by 2050, is supported by Green Building Councils’ asset level net zero standards in 15 countries and counting, which all adhere to WorldGBC’s global principles for net zero carbon buildings and provide third party
Funds managed by Apollo will provide a USD300 million secured note to Cimpress, a commercial-printing company that owns Vistaprint and has been negatively affected by the coronavirus crisis.
Analysis into how Hg and Two Six Capital are applying data science to better understand and improve business revenue drivers…
Asterion Industrial Partners, an independent investment management firm focused on European infrastructure in the mid-market, has acquired 100 per cent of Telefónica’s microwave radiolink portfolio in Spain through a carve-out process. The transaction was signed and closed on 31 March.The assets consist of a unique portfolio of antennae and radio electronic equipment for c10,800 microwave links (~13,000 circuits), connecting Telefónica’s mobile towers and other enterprise clients’ sites to their terrestrial fibre networks, mainly in low-density areas. Telefónica’s radiolink network is one of the largest in Spain and has best-in-class interconnection with Spain’s deepest fibre network. The portfolio provides a differentiated
Inverness Graham, a private investment firm targeting software, service and tech-enabled manufacturing companies, has sold Kalkomey Enterprises (Kalkomey). Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Kalkomey is a provider of online recreational safety education, certifications and cloud-based agency management solutions to government agencies and outdoor enthusiasts. Inverness Graham acquired Kalkomey in December 2015 and supported management in a strategic platform build effort acquiring three related businesses during the four-year hold. The Kalkomey platform was the result of a proactive search by Inverness Graham in the e-learning market.
“We are thrilled with what the team at Kalkomey has been able to accomplish during our hold,”
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
