Toby Lewis

The European firm has raised its first early stage clean tech fund nearly two years since its first close. The firm quintupled the size of its last capital raising in 2001 in an effort to avoid dilution by larger investors in later funding rounds of successful companies.

The South African buyout firm is considering raising the largest ever solely African buyout fund less than two years since raising a $750m fund.

The emerging markets fund of funds has made its second large commitment to Actis' funds this year, investing in the firm’s global private equity fundraising attempts. In January it invested nearly $1bn in the firm’s latest infrastructure fund.

The €365m fund, which invests in special situations and turnarounds, has bought a non-core engine cooling asset owned by Valeo, a French automotive group.

The captive arm of the emerging markets fund manager has tapped increasing demand to invest in emerging markets, nearly quadrupling the size of its previous fund and raising more than 60 percent from new investors.

KKR has recruited George Bilicic, a Lazard banker, who advised the firm on its $45bn TXU buyout, as it plans to launch a $5bn infrastructure fundraising, according to a report.

The energy investment firm has continued its rapid growth by recruiting George Coelho, a venture capital veteran. Good Energies has an approximate €3bn holding in Q-Cells, a solar energy company.

The West and Central African buyout firm founded by Nigerian executives, was largely backed by local investors as well as CDC, the UK government fund of funds.

The group continued to grow in the last year, although the group’s discount to NAV remained at 18.2 percent. Philip Yea hopes 3i's diversification sees it in a position of strength in troubled markets.

Financial sponsors negotiating block purchases of opportunity loans from banks are being provided with discounted financing. In return for the cheap financing the selling banks are asking for more than the book price of their loans.