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At Donnelley Financial Solutions (‘DFIN’), a leading risk and compliance solutions provider, security is embedded in its DNA. Over the years, the firm has built out an array of financial technologies to support its clients as they operate in increasingly complex markets, where risks come in a variety of forms; not least of which is the constant threat to data security.
Private equity firms are having to double down on cyber risks in the current climate, as hackers exploit the chaos caused by Covid-19 to target PE-backed companies with ransomware attacks. In a recent Bloomberg article, the point was made that as many PE owners have deep pockets, they are a prime target for ransomware attackers, especially those driving operational efficiencies to improve a company’s P&L position; this can, in certain circumstances, lead to stripped back cybersecurity operations.
Alternative investment specialist, Aquila Capital, has secured further capital commitments for its infrastructure fund, ACIF. The fund’s volume now exceeds EUR200 million. The defensive fund, with a focus on Core and Core+ investments in OECD countries, achieved a further net growth of 9.5 per cent for the full year 2019. Since the fund’s launch, the ACIF has posted positive performance in each quarter, thereby avoiding the so-called ‘J-curve’.
The performance of the fund is mainly driven by positive financial contributions through direct and co-investments, appreciations as well as dividends from the target funds. The portfolio currently consists of more than 180
According to the latest analysis from the CEPRES Investment Platform, 2021 could be the best year for private markets ever because of the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis. The analysis looked back at the impact on private equity and credit transactions before, during and after the most recent Global Financial Crisis (GFC), to interpolate possible outcomes of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
By looking at cash flows of 7,800 funds, 80,500 deals and underlying operating metrics of USD28 trillion worth of PE-backed companies, the CEPRES Platform is able to uncover patterns of returns, risks and deal pricing across different geographies and segments
Global private equity secondary deal flow could fall by as much as 40 to 50 per cent this year, compared to 2019, as the repercussions of coronavirus play out over the next few quarters. But for those operating in the lower middle-market, discounted opportunities could be highly attractive.
Last year, transaction volumes exceeded USD85 billion, a jump of 7.2 per cent on 2018. But those numbers are going to look markedly different come the end of 2020, as the expected number of completed transactions fall over valuation gap fears.
Across the PE secondary landscape, it is possible that overall deal
European bolt-on activity grew rapidly in Q1 accounting for 63.4 per cent of deal volume – a new Q1 decade peak – as the Covid-19 effect has yet to show up in later quarters this year.
Private equity deal activity reached a new first quarter peak in Q1 2020, at 1,025 deals for a total of EUR132.9 billion— a year on year increase of 6.2 per cent and 40.4 per cent respectively, according to new data released by PitchBook in its latest Q1 European Private Equity Breakdown report.
We are yet to see a pandemic related slowdown in the remaining
Mid-market private equity firm Stirling Square Capital Partners has acquired Assistansbolaget Försäkring Sverige, a B2C roadside assistance provider.
The acquisition is the third platform investment in Stirling Square’s Fourth Fund, which closed at EUR950 million in January and focuses on the European mid-market. Founded by Stefano Bonfiglio and Gregorio Napoleone, Stirling Square’s portfolio includes Logent, Verescence and Vernet.
Assistansbolaget contracts directly with over 350,000 customers in an annual subscription-fee model to provide drivers with RSA services across Europe. It is a tech- and data-driven innovator operating in a stable and mature industry, the company said.
Founded in 2015, Assistansbolaget has
Investec Investment Banking & Securities (“Investec”) has announced a key hire in its Oil & Gas equity research team, as part of the development of a broader sector strategy.Nathan Piper joins from Amerisur Resources, where he was previously Head of Business Development.
Nathan will be leading Investec’s coverage of Exploration & Production (E&P) companies focusing principally on UK listed companies. He previously covered the sector at Royal Bank of Canada and Bridgewell Securities. During his 12 year tenure at RBC, he was consistently ranked top 3 in UK small-mid cap external investor surveys.
Harold Hutchinson, Head of Research, says:
Hamilton Lane Collaborate to Bring New Efficiencies to Alternative Investment OperationsPrivate markets investment management firm Hamilton Lane as implemented Canoe Intelligence (Canoe) solutions as a step in its efforts to further streamline internal processes.
Canoe is a financial technology company focused on automating and improving alternative investment operations for institutional investors, capital allocators and asset servicing firms,
Hamilton Lane invested in Canoe’s series A funding round in February of 2020, and is now collaborating with the firm to unlock new efficiencies in alternative investment processes; including data collection, accounting, investment tracking, portfolio management, reporting and more. Hamilton Lane will be
With a recession more severe than the downturn caused by the global financial crisis of 2008 – and perhaps even the Great Depression – looming large, the temptation to look to the past for clues as to how the coronavirus crisis will play out is understandable.
But while the past can provide pointers to the future, it’s also worth noting that the current situation is unique in so far as it is the result of an orchestrated governmental shutdown of large sections of the global economy.
According to a recent IMF forecast, the global economy is projected to contract by 3
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