Western Europe

Navis closes Asia fund on more than $1bn(3)

Navis Capital Partners, the Asia-focussed buyout firm, has closed a fund more than triple the size of its previous fund, as the continent’s buyout firms prosper.

IDFC Private Equity leads $100m investment in India’s Moser Baer

India’s IDFC Private Equity is leading a consortium of Singapore’s GIC Special Investments and the UK’s CDC Group to invest $100 million in the country’s largest optical storage media manufacturer Moser Baer.

BVCA says it won’t split(3)

The battered UK trade organisation says it needs “sharper focus” but intends to remain a single organisation representing VCs, mid-market groups and big LBO funds under one roof.

Lyceum buy and build nets early exit(3)

Business services specialist Lyceum Capital has sold health and safety company National Britannia Group after two and a half years to asset manager Connaught. Jeremy Hand, managing partner, said there was considerable interest.

Graphite buys add-on gas supplier(2)

The UK mid-market firm has invested in the platform gas business it bought in June, taking total financing to more than £50m with the acqusition of Global Gas Supplies.

Bush administration to veto carry tax bill

The White House has indicated that, if passed by the US Senate, it would veto a bill passed today by the House of Representatives. Cerberus Capital Management’s John Snow has also attacked the bill, which aims to raise revenue with measures including increasing the tax on carry.

Goldman veteran goes full-time with Balderton(3)

Tim Bunting, the former Goldman Sachs banker, has taken on a full-time role with venture firm Balderton, after working with it in its previous incarnation as Benchmark Capital Europe.

KKR concludes Demag exit with Argillon sale

Five years after KKR bought a mini conglomerate from German industrial giant Siemens, it has sold the last piece of it, a manufacturer of catalysts and ceramics, to its UK rival.

Helping hand(4)

The Walker Report has given the Delta Two bid for J Sainsbury an extra sheen of respectability and is a sign the industry may take compliance seriously, writes Nicholas Lockley, editor of PEO.

Partners Group opens in Tokyo(4)

The global alternative asset specialist, which has had a presence in Singapore since 2004, has opened a second office in Asia.