Latest News
Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI) is to add Sound Harbor Partners, a US private credit manager led by Michael Zupon and Dean Criares, to its private debt platform.
AllianzGI will acquire Sound Harbor’s assets for an undisclosed sum and the Sound Harbor team will join AllianzGI.
The Sound Harbor team will become part of the AllianzGI global investment platform, maintaining the integrity of its investment strategy, process and team while accessing insights and knowledge-sharing among colleagues across the platform.
Andreas Utermann (pictured), chief executive and global chief investment officer of AllianzGI, says: “Over the last five years, AllianzGI has
Central and Eastern Europe private equity fund Innova Capital has sold its 27 per cent stake in Wirtualna Polska Holding for PLN50 per share.
In 2014 the Innova Capital fund financed the acquisition of Wirtualna Polska from Orange Polska and its merger with the o2 Group.
The purpose of the PLN375 million transaction was to consolidate the e-market in Poland and introduce the group into the e-commerce market segment.
In just a dozen or so months the company underwent a dynamic integration process, strategy overhaul and rebranding. These initiatives gave an immediate boost to the financial performance: a
Watson Wheatley Financial Systems (WWFS) has implemented the iRecs reconciliation solution at online peer-to-peer SME business loan specialists ThinCats.
The new deal for WWFS marks the first time the iRecs platform has been used in a peer-to-peer lending environment.
Guy Whitaker, client money operations manager at ThinCats, says: “iRecs has become integral to our day-to-day operations and reporting of Client Money. As ThinCats continues to grow, the automation that iRecs provides ensures we have the capability to deal with significant increases in volumes, protect our clients’ money appropriately and meet our FCA CASS regulatory obligations.
“The WWFS support
As sustainability issues force their way higher up the corporate agenda, private equity houses (general partners) are now responding to demand from investors (limited partners) for a bigger focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
Four in 10 (41 per cent) of 111 PE general partners surveyed by PwC in its Global PE Responsible Investment Survey would be prepared to pay a premium for a target company with robust ESG metrics.
Two-fifths (40 per cent) said poor ESG performance has seen them demand a material discount or even walk away from a deal.
However, illustrating how much
Rothschild Global Advisory, part of the Rothschild & Co Group, is expanding its debt advisory business by appointing Michael Speller as head of debt advisory, North America.
Speller will join Rothschild Global Advisory as a managing director and head of debt advisory for North America, commencing 13 February 2017. Speller will lead the debt advisory team in North America, advising clients on the strategy and execution of debt market transactions for both publicly listed and privately owned companies, including companies owned by financial sponsors.
Jimmy Neissa, head of Rothschild & Co North America, says: “The addition of a North
Citco has launched an enhanced version of its risk and transparency offering which will enable clients to monitor and assess risk using flexible, customisable tools.
The technology is available to Citco clients and other alternative investment firms.
Citco’s suite of risk management tools enables users to access, monitor, analyse, and report risk in a way that is customisable and transparent.
The system now features interactive data visualisation dashboards, which can provide exposure and performance attribution drill-downs and deliver tailored analysis of key risk drivers across asset classes. The platform also includes new tools for stress testing and tailored
Pensions Infrastructure Platform (PIP), an infrastructure investment manager established by pension schemes for pension schemes, has made the first equity investment from its PiP Multi-Strategy Infrastructure Fund (MSIF).
The PiP MSIF has acquired a portfolio of 31 individual wind turbines from Golden Square Energy, a renewables business and joint venture partnership between Ingenious Infrastructure and AGR.
The sites are well diversified across the UK and all of the turbines are operational and accredited under the UK’s feed-in-tariff (FiT) regime.
The predictable FiT revenues, combined with guaranteed availability under long-term O&M contracts, will provide investors with 20 years of
Legal & General Capital (LGC), with Woodford Investment Management and the British Business Bank, has invested in Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV), a new venture platform funding digital businesses across all stages of the funding cycle.
Legal & General says it sees an opportunity to help drive the institutionalisation of the venture asset class and create a leading venture investment ecosystem across the UK.
It believes infrastructure investment in cities and towns, in combination with a thriving digital venture investment industry leveraging the preeminent science and technology emerging from universities, can act as a catalyst to drive improved productivity and
Irish Funds, the representative body for the international cross-border investment funds industry in Ireland, has welcomed the Central Bank of Ireland’s announcement on its intention to amend the requirements for Loan originating Qualifying Investor AIFs (L-QIAIFs), as set out in the AIF Rulebook.
The changes will relax current restrictions and allow L-QIAIFs to make debt and equity investments linked to the loan origination strategy, a policy which reflects market demand and provisions in the ELTIF product.
This change will increase the attractiveness of the Irish L-QIAIF regime to international fund managers, as they will be allowed to make equity
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Aly El Hamamsy as a partner in the firm’s US corporate practice.
Fluent in English, French, Arabic and Italian, El Hamamsy’s career has been devoted to managing sophisticated cross-border transactional matters.
His experience includes several years with Davis Polk & Wardwell’s M&A group, including two years in its Paris office; serving as vice president and managing director of the National Basketball Association (NBA); and, most recently, serving as a partner with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York, where he continued his focus on international corporate matters.
His recent transactions include representing Salix
Special Reports
Featured
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
