Toby Lewis

Carlyle secures second Spanish bolt-on in a week

Global buyout firm The Carlyle Group has combined travel website Rumbo with Orizonia in a joint venture alongside Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica.

Schwarzman: economic change driving fear of private equity

Blackstone chairman and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman has spoken out in the industry’s defence, championing private equity as “a force for good”.

3i maintains investment pace

3i, the FTSE 100 investment firm, kept up investing in the last quarter of last year despite the problems in the global credit markets. Chief executive Philip Yea emphasised the group’s mid-market position and international network to explain the steady investment flow.

Cinven secures bolt-on for hospital group

LGV Capital, the UK mid-market buyout firm, has exited the hospital group it bought from BUPA in 2005. Rival Cinven is reuniting the hospitals with a larger group it acquired from the UK private healthcare insurer.

JS closes $158m Pakistan fund

Attracting a wide-ranging investor base, the Pakistani investment firm has closed its first domestic fund. In spite of the assassination of electoral candidate Benazir Bhutto, the fund’s management believes investors with a long-term view can seize an opportunity.

Argos Soditic raising €150m sponsorless mezz fund

Mezzanine’s resurgence gathers apace as the European buyout firm diversifies into loan financing in the changed investment climate post-credit crunch.

GE recruits Paris leveraged finance head

As executives continue to look for fresh starts in the New Year, GE Commercial Finance has recruited Bank of Ireland’s French head of acquisition finance.

Advent rewards team

Global buyout firm Advent International becomes the latest firm to encourage its team with a slew of promotions worldwide.

Eurazeo revenues up 59% on last year

The group’s chief executive Patrick Sayer has said it will grow its unlisted co-investment fund to between €2 billion and €3 billion emulating FTSE 100-listed rival 3i.

ICG raises £175m to seize credit squeeze opportunity

The specialist investment firm’s loan book grew by 16.5 percent as it helped banks reduce their balance sheet exposure to transactions underwritten before the problems in the credit market became apparent.