In a volatile trading environment, France has become continental Europe’s second largest buyout market following a sharp decline in activity in Germany.
The Irish venture capital firm has attracted a broad range of international investors for its third fund, with E170m the largest European technology fund raised in 2002.
Investors lined up by Merrill Lynch’s fund placement group to invest in Englefield Capital’s debut fund were denied access after Englefield secured a E495m cornerstone investment from the Brenninkmeijer family.
In BP’s second recent divestment to private equity firms, the UK oil giant has sold the speciality mining chemicals business of Burmah Castrol to CBPE for £32m.
Infineon Technologies chief executive Ulrich Schumacher is to join the advisory board for the US firm’s E650m venture capital fund.
UK-based London Merchant Securities has appointed Scott Potter to oversee the management of the firm’s US venture capital portfolio.
AXA Private Equity is looking to put a greater portion of its capital into private equity buyout funds to reduce its exposure to venture capital.
The US buyout firm is reportedly preparing the launch of a new buyout fund to follow up on the $4.5bn vehicle it closed in 2000.
The French bank is anticipating a pick-up in LBO activity in Spain and has appointed Javier Gonzalez-Tovar as the bank’s Spanish head of leveraged finance.
On the back of recent LP disclosures, a newly-launched online database claims to give users the data to compare fund performance from over 1,100 private equity partnerships worldwide.