Latest News
By Malta Financial Services Authority – The law on investment services in Malta has undergone a number of significant changes in preparation for the implementation of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (hereinafter referred to as the “AIFMD”). Among these changes has been the issue of second tier legislation in the form of Regulations issued under the Investment Services Act as well as the publication both of new and of revised third level Investment Services Rules by Malta’s finance industry regulator, the Malta Financial Services Authority (hereinafter referred to as the “MFSA”).
The new regime makes provision for and sets
It could be some time yet before the AIFMD brings standard regulatory requirements across the EU, says Glynn Barwick (pictured), regulatory lawyer at Goodwin Procter LLP…
Member states are required to implement the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive into their law by 22 July. Although it is intended to create a standard set of regulatory requirements in all member states for European and, separately, non-European managers, in fact some states (such as Norway, Finland and various Mediterranean countries) will be late in implementing the directive.
Moreover, those that will implement it on time are being inconsistent or unclear as
Global mergers and acquisitions activity is on the increase, according to Taxand, an organisation of tax advisers to multinational businesses.
However, the organisation warns that the increase is marginal. M&A activity continues to be inhibited by pressures from the global economy. With such a large disparity in M&A activity levels the outlook is mixed.
The number of M&A deals in the Eurozone fell as these countries continued to struggle in the economic climate. Deal volume also slowed down in the Asia-Pacific region although this follows high activity and the region is seen by many as a growth area.
Venture capital funds TT Venture, a fund managed by Fondamenta SGR, and Atlante Seed, a fund managed by IMI Fondi Chiusi SGR, an Intesa Sanpaolo Group company, have invested in MilkyWay, a start-up in Modena focused on the design, manufacture and online sales of bike-trial and extreme sports equipment.
The investment operation totals an initial EUR720,000, which MilkyWay will use to expand its range of products on the extreme sports market (such as kitesurfing, downhill biking and parkour) and to develop the online community (www.milkywaytribe.com).
In just a few months the MilkyWay community has positioned itself as a
JP Anderson has formed a new private equity fund, The Sierra Leone Development Fund I, which will promote economic development in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
JP Anderson is looking to raise and invest USD100m in small to medium-sized businesses and government related agency projects.
The fund will seek minority stakes of USD5m to USD10m in companies that have current or projected earnings over USD2m annually. The fund is not targeting specific industry sectors but is aggressively looking to work with the government on various agency related projects that can stimulate the country’s growth and development.
The creation
Edison Ventures has made a USD5.5m investment in a USD7m total financing round in Ontario, Canada based eSentire.
Existing investor VentureLink joined Edison in the round.
The proceeds will be used to increase sales and marketing, expand product development to address markets beyond financial services eSentire combines behaviour-based technology with seasoned security professionals to provide a unique managed services offering. To date, the company has focused exclusively on serving the financial services market, specifically hedge funds. With Edison’s investment, eSentire will continue to penetrate the hedge fund sector and, expand into other markets.
Lenard Marcus, Edison principal
Cintrifuse’s fund of funds is investing in two funds which the firm believes have the ability for early stage venture leadership in Cincinnati.
The two funds are Allos Ventures Fund II with offices in Cincinnati and Indianapolis and Sigma Prime Ventures Fund IX based in Boston.
"Cintrifuse’s aim is to increase access to early stage capital for high-potential startups. Early stage companies are glistening diamonds in the rough but are currently underserved in the funding arena, as venture capital flows more readily to budding startups or buy-out ready firms," says Jeff Weedman (pictured), chief executive of Cintrifuse, a
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has approved seven co-operation arrangements between EU securities regulators and their global counterparts with responsibility for the supervision of alternative investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity and real estate funds.
ESMA’s board of supervisors, at its July meeting, approved memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with authorities from the Bahamas, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and the US, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
ESMA has now negotiated 38 agreements on behalf of the 31 EU/EEA national competent authorities for securities markets supervision. The co-operation agreements allow for the exchange of information, cross-border
Brad Ackerman has joined Kinetic Partners’ New York office as a director within the consulting team.
In his new role, Ackerman will support the existing due diligence team and further develop the global alternative investment operational due diligence service offering to investors.
An increasing number of investors are ensuring that detailed compliance and regulatory framework reviews are undertaken as part of the operational due diligence (ODD) process. Together with a focus on ensuring the independence of fund directors, ODD skills are increasingly in demand.
With more than 20 years working in financial services, Ackerman joins Kinetic Partners
Alter Domus hosted a breakfast seminar in London entitled ‘AIFMD Depositary: Concrete solutions to the challenges ahead’.
Private equity and real estate funds will, as AIFs, fall under the scope of the AIFM Directive and will require firms to appoint an independent depositary in order to comply with the regulations. With over 10 years’ experience as a PE and RE specialist, Alter Domus has created a Depositary Services function in Luxembourg (subject to regulatory approval), and is also in the process of providing such services in the UK, to support managers under the Directive.
The depositary will be responsible for
Special Reports
Featured
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
