Craig McGlashan

Hg launches incubator Catalyst to bring AI to portcos

AI-powered products have in some cases upped customer bookings by more than 40% in their first year, said Hg.

Aerospace & defense: 2025 marks a record-breaking year for private equity deals in the sector

Rising passenger numbers are boosting commercial aviation; geopolitical volatility is bolstering defense investment; and tech breakthroughs are supporting everything.

Will UK budget uncertainty muffle dealmaking? Plus, which types of law firms are likely to draw PE interest

The Labour government is widely expected to raise taxes to help plug a £30 billion hole in the public finances, but exactly what form those changes will take remains an unknown.

Private equity backs ‘very sticky’ fund admin sector; Apollo agrees to buy Spain’s Atlético Madrid

The deal is via Apollo’s sports investment company Apollo Sports Capital, which launched in September.

Broken auctions creating opportunities; Blackstone mulls faster exits to avoid AI disruption; Trive’s Canopy A&D in UK-add-on; Inflexion’s Axiom GRC in US deal

Inflexion portfolio company Axiom GRC has acquired IS Partners, a US cyber assurance and compliance services company.

Renaissance-backed U-Power in PPE add-on; Davidson Kempner and Afendis portco Cerealto buys in US; More add-ons for AnaCap- and TA-backed MRH Trowe

EU's AI Act triggers due diligence push for private equity investors

While the EU AI Act may not have a steering effect globally, private equity sponsors are working to stay ahead of regulations.

Astorg’s Benjamin Cordonnier: Valuations still polarized; Italy busy as HIG buys ALA, OEP agrees to Digital Value deal; PAI in talks for wealth business

ALA is a global provider of mission-critical logistics and distribution services to major aerospace and defense manufacturers.

Reach Capital’s William Barrett: Liquidity demands outweighing returns for LPs; BC and Pollen Street’s Shawbrook sets IPO pricing range

Shawbrook Group, a portfolio company of BC Partners and Pollen Street Capital, has set pricing for its planned London listing.

RGreen Invest’s Nicolas Rochon: European energy transition pipeline bulging; Advent hits threshold in U-blox take-private; Oakley in for padel business

U-blox is a global provider of positioning and short-range communication technologies and services.