Fundraising

GBS Finanzas, a Madrid-based investment bank that has sourced a number of deals for Spanish private equity firms, is planning a fund of its own.

The Australian banking group has signalled an €1.1bn unsolicited offer for Techem, a German utility data services provider, whose board has said it will wait to examine the proposal before judging it hostile

San Francisco-based placement agent Probitas Partners, fresh from fundraising for the debut vehicles for KSL and Benson Elliot, is beefing up its real estate team.

Argan Capital is the new name for BA Capital Partners Europe and it has a fresh chest of capital to deploy across the continent in mid-market deals.

Rabobank backs its Benelux buyout team, , which has raised third-party cash for the first time, with a cornerstone investment.

The Hicks Muse spin-out is set to double its firepower compared to its debut fund, which is almost fully committed just 16 months after closing.

Carlyle is expected to set a target of approximately $15bn for its next US buyout fund once its predecessor is 70 percent invested, likely to occur once recent deals totalling $41bn complete.

NVCA president Mark Heesen says the sudden drop in US venture fundraising in Q3 may not be such a bad thing for VCs. Dave Keating reports.

The US property investment management firm is stepping up its European activities with two new fund of fund launches as the product gains in popularity.

The Oslo-based private equity firm has held a final close on its second fund with just over €500m in commitments, more than twice the amount raised for its vintage-2005 debut fund.