Standard Bank

Graham Thomas, global head of private equity at South African lender Standard Bank, has left the company as it scales back principal investment activities, with more departures to follow.

The bank has hired top-ranking execs from Warburg Pincus, Merrill Lynch Private Equity and ECP to lead PE activity in Africa, Brazil and Turkey.

The emerging markets bank is raising a ‘new and unique’ fund to stimulate the debt capital markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.

CIMB Standard, the joint venture private equity and infrastructure platform of CIMB Group and Standard Bank, is to manage an incoming infrastructure fund aimed at investing in Asia’s “emerging countries”. The vehicle already has $250 million of equity commitments from its sponsors.

The $300m GCC Energy Fund has been launched by Standard Bank, Gulf International Bank and Emirates National Oil Company.

The newly-formed group, which helps wealthy families make impact investments, has assembled an experienced team for its first African office.

Gulf-based GCC Energy Fund has bought into an engingeering company, as it prepares to announce two further investments by January.

UK-listed 3i Group has dipped its toe into Brazil for the first time since opening a São Paulo office in April, acquiring a minority stake in a cable TV operator Blue Interactive Group.

New entrants to the African debt financing market could help bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots

The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund is lending $25m to O3b Networks, an internet satellite company, which has also attracted equity commitments from Internet search provider Google and North Bridge Venture Partners.

As 3i’s Anil Ahuja-led Asian operations are focusing on growth capital investments, the firm’s Asian buyout head, David Osborne, has left the firm after 25 years.

The Singapore-headquartered manager formerly known as CIMB Standard has hired David Osborne and Craig Martin as managing directors.

The private equity infrastructure manager focused on Central and Southeast Asia will also begin fundraising for its second Southeast Asia-focused fund in Q3.