Latest News
Alternative assets fund managers hold a record USD7.4 trillion in combined assets under management (AUM) in 2015, up from USD6.9 trillion a year before, according to Preqin’s 2016 Global Alternatives Reports.
The private capital industry in particular has grown over the past year, as almost every constituent asset class saw its AUM increase. The industry as a whole added USD193 billion in AUM through H1 2015, more than the USD149 billion growth seen in the whole of 2014. The aggregate value of the portfolios of assets held by private capital fund managers is continuing to rise as GPs put more
BDC Capital has committed an additional CAD3 million to the early stage venture capital fund managed by Mistral Venture Partners, bringing its total commitment to CAD6 million.
The Business Development Bank of Canada subsidiary had made a first commitment of CAD3 million in June 2014. This increase will enable Mistral Venture Partners to augment follow-on investments in its best portfolio companies. Since its first closing in January 2013, the fund has made investments in 12 startups and may invest in as many as five more. Mistral's investment focus is on smart enterprise companies (mobility, cloud and Internet of Things).
BDC
Law firm Howard Kennedy and its regulated London Stock Exchange sponsor, Howard Kennedy Corporate Services, have advised Maven Income and Growth VCT 6 PLC on the launch of its 2016 VCT share offer.
The VCT is managed by Maven Capital Partners UK LLP, one of the largest VCT investment managers in the UK, which manages a further five VCT funds. The other five VCTs launched a joint fundraising offer in October 2015, which was fully subscribed and closed early. Following on from the success of the 2015 fundraising, Maven Capital Partners UK LLP is supporting Maven Income and Growth VCT 6 PLC
PrivatEquity.biz, Israel’s first online secondary market trading arena, has launched its Global Provider Program, aimed at helping mature private, pre-IPO high-tech companies in receiving investments from both private and institutional investors in their region through a local secondary market web trading platform.
PrivatEquity.biz is working to establish partnerships with financial institutions such as stock exchanges, investment banks and large banks in mature hi tech markets over the world.
The secondary market platforms will be constructed by PrivatEquity.biz and will be jointly managed in a partnership model by PrivatEquity.biz and a significant financial institution in each local market.
The
EMEA is the strongest performing region for global early-stage mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with the UK outperforming the region and shrugging off concerns over the results of the anticipated EU membership referendum, and a potential “Brexit”.
That’s according to the latest Intralinks Deal Flow Predictor (DFP), which also finds that early-stage M&A activity and deal pipelines are increasing in the Consumer, Real Estate and Retail sectors while Materials, High Technology and Energy & Power early-stage deal activity is weakening.
The Intralinks DFP forecasts the volume of future M&A deal announcements by tracking the number of early-stage M&A deals that
Jordan/Zalaznick Advisers (JZAI), the investment adviser to JZ Capital Partners, has closed the second and final round of fundraising for JZI Fund III, the successor fund to the EuroMicrocap Fund 2010, with EUR400 million of commitments.
The fundraising surpassed its EUR350 million target, receiving strong backing from institutional investors and family offices from across Europe and North America as well as existing EMC 2010 investors. Fund III will invest principally in lower middle market companies in Western Europe, generally focusing on businesses with enterprise values between EUR15 million and EUR150 million and the ability to generate EBITDA of EUR5 million to
Institutional investors worldwide say it is challenging to find diversification among traditional asset classes, with more than half (54 per cent) saying stocks and bonds are too highly correlated to provide distinctive sources of return.
That’s according to a recent survey by Natixis Global Asset Management, which also finds evidence that alternative assets are taking on new prominence within institutional portfolios to help generate better risk-adjusted returns – the top priority of institutional investors in 2016.
“In the current market, traditional asset allocation has become a zero-sum game,” says John Hailer (pictured), chief executive officer of in the Americas
Opus Bank is to acquire PENSCO Trust Company, (PENSCO) a wholly-owned subsidiary of PENSCO Services.
PENSCO is a custodian of self-directed IRA and alternative investments headquartered in San Francisco, California, and has nearly USD11 billion of custodial assets from over 45,000 clients and investments in over 40,000 unique asset types, comprised of private equity, real estate, notes, cash, and other non-exchange traded assets. Under the terms of the agreement, PENSCO shareholders and members will receive aggregate consideration comprised of 1,698,529 shares of Opus Bank common stock and USD47.25 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments set forth in the definitive
Private equity firm Swander Pace Capital has completed its acquisition of Swanson Health Products (Swanson), an online and catalog marketer of Swanson-branded and third-party healthy living products.
Swanson, based in Fargo, North Dakota, carries over 27,000 health and wellness products sold under its own and third-party brands, including vitamins, minerals, supplements, sports nutrition, natural food, and beauty products. The family-founded business reaches consumers through its significant e-commerce operations as well as its catalog. In addition to its North American base, Swanson services consumers globally through online operations and distributors in 51 countries.
“Swanson has established itself as the leader
MesDocteurs has completed an initial EUR1.2 million funding round with Omnes Capital, Partech Ventures and a business angel from the insurance world.
MesDocteurs is a start-up founded in 2015 by Chloé Ramade, Séverine Grégoire and Nicolas Orofino, the founders of Monshowroom, which was supported from its beginnings by Omnes Capital and sold in 2014 to Groupe Casino.
MesDocteurs is a paying service that provides accurate and specific health advice and information. If necessary, it refers the user to a healthcare professional or, in the case of obvious emergency, to a "Centre 15" emergency call centre or the nearest hospital.
Special Reports
Featured
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
