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When given a choice between USD1,000 worth of Bitcoin and USD1,000 worth of a traditional financial asset, 27 per cent of millennials chose Bitcoin over an equivalent amount of stocks, 30 per cent chose Bitcoin over government bonds, 22 per cent chose Bitcoin over real estate, and 19 per cent chose Bitcoin over gold.
That’s according to a survey by venture capital firm Blockchain Capital which suggests that as Bitcoin adoption grows and millennials consider purchasing decisions, financial institutions may be wise to offer these assets and services in order to attract and retain millennial customers.
The survey, which
Last year, Ardian, the French independent private equity firm, joined forces with Seven Mile Capital Partners to launch a North American direct buyout business focusing primarily on US industrials. The business unit, overseen by Vincent Fandozzi, Head of Ardian North America Direct Buyouts, includes the whole Seven Mile Capital Partners team, retained in full, and adds to Ardian’s buyout arsenal by focusing specifically on investment opportunities in the lower middle market.
At a time when valuations are getting toppy and capital continues to flow into the private equity space – according to Pitchbook PE firms across North America & Europe attracted
Risk management comes in many forms for private equity and alternative investment firms, with a wide range of scenarios to consider including: account technology risk; third party and supply chain risk; fraud and misconduct risk; cyber risk; compliance risk; and reputational risk.
Aimed specifically at alternative investment and private equity firms, this free, lunchtime RFA risk management training session, which is being held in London on 7 and 11 November from 11:00-14:00, will give fund managers, operational and technical leaders, and board members a clear understanding of how to manage and mitigate information risk.
This three-hour session led by GDPR
Unigestion has made an investment in cyber insurance company Ascent Underwriting, the company’s third direct private equity investment this year – and the sixth in total – from Unigestion’s Direct Opportunities 2015 (UDO 2015) fund.
Ascent is a cyber insurance and specialty focused Managing General Agent in the Lloyds of London market. Unigestion made the investment alongside Preservation Capital Partners, the financial services focused private equity firm with a broad network and extensive experience in the insurance sector. The investment, which is subject to regulatory approval, will allow Ascent to further strengthen its presence in the fast growing cyber insurance
Private equity and infrastructure focused investment manager 3i has selected software solutions provider AutoRek to enhance controls and automation of asset records.
AutoRek will be deployed to enhance existing technology installed at 3i, including external and in-house systems. AutoRek will enable 3i to prepare a second record distinct from its existing system, and perform internal, external and physical asset reconciliations. Demonstrable governance and controls, as well as support for the client money assets return (CMAR) will ensure ongoing adherence to CASS regulatory requirements for the protection of Client Assets.
Kartik Shah, Director of Regulatory Reporting at 3i Group plc,
OTCX, an over-the-counter derivatives platform, has secured backing from the Angel CoFund as part of its latest funding round.
The Angel CoFund is a GBP100 million investment fund, supported by the British Business Bank, with objectives to back promising UK businesses and help develop the important business angel investment market.
In a market in which over 50 per cent of OTC derivatives are traded via chat, email or voice technology, OTCX provides new solutions that help structure price discovery, negotiation and affirmation communication between counterparties. The investment by the Angel CoFund is further validation of OTCX’s technology and progress in bringing an antiquated OTC derivatives community into the
Nautic Partners has sold portfolio company IPS Corporation to funds affiliated with Sherman Capital Holdings through Sherman Capital’s existing portfolio company Encaspsys, for USD 700 million.
The two companies will operate together as Cypress Performance Group (CPG), offering a portfolio of advanced materials and diversified products with leading brand positions in niche, value-added verticals. Nautic originally acquired IPS in February 2015.
IPS is a global manufacturer of specialised, highly engineered industrial products serving diverse industrial, commercial, and residential end markets. Selling through the professional trade channel, IPS is a market leader in multiple product categories including solvent cements, structural
Legal & General’s Venture Capital and SME investment programme, which also includes its “SE-Assist” product for social enterprises, has now made investments in over 100 UK-based companies, and is on track to double that number during 2018.
Early-stage companies which have benefited from Legal & General’s VC funding now have a combined Enterprise Value of over GBP10 billion. Prime areas of focus have included technology, analytics, life sciences and digital healthcare, with a particular emphasis on investments in companies located outside London.
Legal & General’s VC investment programme is conducted alongside seven partner-managers. These include OSI (Oxford Sciences Innovation), CIC
Cairngorm Capital Partners (Cairngorm Capital) has acquired Thornbridge Sawmills Limited (Thornbridge), a leading Scottish timber processing and distribution company.
Thornbridge sources certified timber and sheet materials from sustainable producers both domestically and overseas. It has a combined sawmill and distribution hub in Grangemouth, as well as eight regional branch outlets across Scotland serving builders, joiners and construction companies. Thornbridge has revenues of £35 million and employs 159 staff, many of them very long-serving.
This is Cairngorm Capital’s ninth proprietary transaction since July 2016 and is the first investment for its second fund Cairngorm Capital II, which closed in April
Pan-African private equity firm Development Partners International (DPI) has appointed Takudzwa Mutasa as Principal.
As a deal lead, Mutasa will work with the team to source and manage investment opportunities and partnerships across the continent, as well as work with existing portfolio investments.
Mutasa will rejoin DPI from KKR and has over a decade of investment experience of which the majority has been in African Private Equity.
Mutasa’s private equity experience, outside of DPI, has been gained at firms including KKR and Helios Investment Partners where he was involved in sourcing, analysing and executing private equity investments across
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12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
