Private Equity Wire Newsletter

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NEWSLETTER | 10 Jul 2020

Hints of European deal recovery on the horizon

The trend of high-profile fund closures continued as both Charlesbank and Pictet Alternative Advisors announced the close of their latest funds this week.

Charlesbank Capital Partners closed Credit Opportunities Fund II at its USD700 million hard cap, above the USD500 million target, while PAA held a final close for Monte Rosa V, the fifth fund in a series of diversified, multi-manager private equity funds, at USD1.164 billion.

Also this week, Manila-based fund manager Navegar announced the final close of its second fund focused on companies in the consumer and business services sectors in the Philippines.

Although many of these particular fundraises had already started when Covid disruption kicked in, the success of recent fund closures still heralds hope that LPs will continue to deploy capital in private equity funds as we move through the ongoing global pandemic.

This optimism is mirrored in a feature this week which covered Credit Suisse’s view on the state of the European M&A market. In a report named ‘Impact of Covid-19 on European M&A activity,’ the Swiss investment bank showed that 2020 got off to a strong start with European M&A volumes in mid-March increasing by 27 per cent over the same period last year.

Despite the unprecedented turbulence in Europe since March and subsequent deal drought, Marco Superina, who heads up M&A Switzerland at Credit Suisse and one of the co-authors of the report, said there are promising signs on the horizon that European M&A activity could start to pick up again in Q3.

In the second feature of the week, we explore how ESG investing continues to gain momentum and prominence among global institutional investors as they increasingly look to benchmark not only the performance of funds in their portfolios, but the impact they have on the world. In it, James Williams looks at finding value in ESG from an APAC perspective.

Last but not least, be sure to take a look at the latest PEWLive event. This September, we’re inviting you to join leading practitioners and colleagues in Europe as we uncover and resolve the operational issues facing GPs in an increasingly competitive marketplace. You can find out more about, and pre-register for, the event here…

Karin Wasteson
Editor, Private Equity Wire

Signs that European M&A activity will pick up the pace in Q3 are "promising", says Credit Suisse

Fri | 10 Jul 2020, 12:17

A new report from Credit Suisse and law firm CMS analyses the financial and legal implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on M&A transactions in Western Europe.

Fri | 10 Jul 2020, 12:17

ESG investing continues to gain momentum and prominence among global institutional investors as they increasingly look to benchmark not only the performance of funds in their portfolios but the impact they have on the world.

Fri | 10 Jul 2020, 12:17

A new research paper called ‘The impact of culture’, published by Thinking Ahead Institute, suggests that the implementation of cultural change across the investment industry still lags.

Ada Ventures leads social impact investment in Organise

Fri | 10 Jul 2020, 12:17

Ada Ventures has led a GBP570k seed funding round into Organise, a platform aiming to empower workers to campaign for better rights.

Fri | 10 Jul 2020, 12:17

Manila-based private equity firm Navegar has held a final close of its second fund at USD197 million, above the fund’s USD150 million target.

Fri | 10 Jul 2020, 12:17

Pictet Alternative Advisors (PAA) has held the final close of Monte Rosa V, the fifth fund in a series of diversified, multi-manager private equity funds, at at USD 1.164 billion.