Fundraising

The UK government-owned emerging markets investor has announced commitments of more than $100m to four separate African private equity vehicles.

Former director at Adams Street Partners Ronan Cunningham is joining Ireland’s National Pension Reserve Fund to head up its new €3bn private equity programme.

The first closings of Abraaj Capital’s second buyout fund on $300m and Shuaa Partners’ debut vehicle on $160m indicate strong investor appetite in the Middle East for local private equity.

The European mid-market firm has closed its first independent fund since spinning out from HSBC bank in 2003, backed by a range of global institutions.

American International Group’s AIG Highstar Capital has agreed to sell Southern Star Central, the largest natural gas pipeline in the central US, to GE’s Energy Financial Services and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec.

With plans to invest in Hungary and other CEE countries, Euroventures has held a final close of a €51m fund backed by local and European institutional investors.

Australia’s Macquarie Bank and a private equity affiliate have won the auction of BBC Broadcast, the digital media services arm of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The Boston-based private equity firm has closed two new funds on more than $3.3bn.

The team that spun out from Coller Capital in 2004 has announced the close of its debut private equity secondary fund on €52m.

A question is vexing the minds of institutional investors: how much – if any - of my European portfolio should be in the East? Andy Thomson reports.