By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, and ride-hailing app service Uber have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore ways of co-developing payment technology. Continue Reading
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, and ride-hailing app service Uber have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore ways of co-developing payment technology. Continue Reading
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, and the government of the country’s Sakhalin island have signed a deal to set up a fish exchange for declared purposes such as replacement of nearly all fish imports in the Russian market with Russian-caught fish. Continue Reading
Oceanwood Capital Management has raised $250 million in a new hedge fund to capitalize on economic recovery in Europe. Oceanwood has raised the capital from existing investors and plans to have a $350 million final close for the fund in September, according to a Reuters report. The new fund, named Oceanwood Peripheral European Select Opportunities… Continue Reading
Former TPG-Axon partner Wesley Wong is prepping an Asian-themed long/short equity fund for a third-quarter 2015 launch. Wong’s Oxbow Capital Management (HK) is reportedly in advanced discussions with Reservoir Capital Management regarding a $150 million stake, according to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources. It would be Reservoir’s first seed investment in an Asian-based startup,… Continue Reading
Global alternative investments powerhouse Carlyle Group has closed on its third European technology and media buyout fund, raising €656 million. It is the company’s largest such fund to date. The fund, named Carlyle Europe Technology Partners III, shows the global appetite for tech and media companies in the region. It began raising money a year… Continue Reading
Carlyle International Energy Partners (CIEP) announced plans to purchase Sterling Resources’ Romanian gas fields. The news comes just a few days after the private equity fund announced it had raised $2.5 billion to purchase global energy assets. With the slump in oil prices hammering Sterling’s revenue streams, the deal allowed Carlyle to snap up at… Continue Reading
Carlyle Group has closed on a new international energy fund with commitments of $2.5 billion from 160 investors, according to media reports. The new fund, which surpassed Carlyle’s initial $1.5 billion target, will invest exclusively in oil and gas projects located outside the U.S. Carlyle is in good company. Since the collapse in oil prices… Continue Reading
Brazilian asset management firm Peninsula Investimentos is launching a distressed-asset fund. Backed by Credit Suisse Group, the fund is expected to be around R$500 million, or approximately $155 million. The company has brought on five new staff members for the effort, according to media reports quoting CEO Antonio Quintella, and will begin raising the fund… Continue Reading
The total value of private equity deals in Africa in 2014 hit $8.1 billion, the second-highest level on record. Fueled by population growth and increased political stabilization, global PE interest is rising on the continent. Last year’s total was just shy of the 2007 record of $8.3 billion, according to African Private Equity and Venture… Continue Reading
Last week Runa Capital, a venture firm operating globally from its offices in Moscow and San Francisco, announced a €3 million investment in MariaDB Corporation, a global software vendor specializing in high availability, high performance and highly scalable open source database solutions. Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, MariaDB (also known as SkySQL) aims to become “the… Continue Reading
Lake Issyk-Kul is one of the most famous sights in the Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asia. With appropriate investment, the area has the potential for further promotion as an attractive holiday resort. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and KICB, its local partner bank, are supporting further development of this tourist attraction by… Continue Reading
By Andrei Skvarsky. XacBank, one of Mongolia’s largest banks, has agreed to lend $10m to Mongolia Holdings, the Hertz Equipment Rental franchisee for Mongolia, as the first tranche of a proposed $40m credit line from the lender. Continue Reading
Source – East-West Digital News The Hamburg-based startup Dreamlines announced yesterday it secured 20 million euros in C Round financing from an international pool of investors led by Target Ventures. Continue Reading
Mirantis, a California-based systems integrator with teams in several countries including Russia and Ukraine, has closed a $100 million series B round with the participation of Insight Venture Partners and August Capital. They were joined by existing investors Intel Capital, WestSummit Capital, Ericsson, and Sapphire Ventures (formerly SAP Ventures). Continue Reading
Leta Capital, the venture arm of Russian IT security solution provider Leta Group, and Titanium Investments, an international venture fund with Russian connections, have invested $1 million in Wakie, the developer of a social alarm clock. Continue Reading
Optogard Nanotech, a resident at Skolkovo, has signed a deal with Chinese pipe manufacturing firmShandong Industry. Optogard will supply the Chinese company with laser-plasma facilities, which will form the basis of their pipe production. The contract is worth $41 million in total. Continue Reading
VTB Capital I2BF Innovation Partners have recently injected $6 million into biotech company Selecta Biosciences, which is working on the development of a new class of target, antigen-specific immunotherapy. Continue Reading
Content Analytics, an analytics platform that recommends e-commerce catalog optimization strategies, announced it secured a $4 million Series A funding led by Almaz Capital. Geoffrey Baehr, a general partner at Almaz Capital, has joined the startup’s board of directors. Continue Reading
Runa Capital, a venture firm operating globally from its offices in Moscow and San Francisco, has led a $2.2 million funding round in SchoolMint, a leading provider of mobile and online enrollment systems for US public, charter and private schools. Continue Reading
By Andrei Skvarsky. FxPro, a London-headquartered online retail foreign exchange broker, has bought out spot forex aggregator Quotix, which is based in Cyprus. Continue Reading
September 9, 2014 Russia-China Investment Fund (RKIF) has reached an agreement in principle to invest in the company, “Children’s World”, is a major player in the sector of specialized network of trade in goods for children in Russia. To date, 100% of the share capital of the company is controlled by AFK “System”. Continue Reading
Mail.ru Group has sold most of its stake in the group Qiwi, control of Russia’s largest system of instant payments . Mail.ru Group could realize 4% stake Qiwi from 2.8 percent discount to the market price, generated $ 80 million. Total investment in Qiwi, in which Internet holding company once owned a 25% stake, he… Continue Reading
The shareholders of an independent Lviv-based brewer Persha Privatna Brovarnia (PPB) including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which has over two decades of successful investment experience in the Ukrainian brewing industry, are financing another project aimed at supporting one of the most vibrant agribusiness subsectors in the country. Through this latest investment… Continue Reading
The EBRD has reduced its stake in Cyfrowy Polsat, Poland’s leading media and telecommunications companies, by selling 33 per cent of its shares. The partial sale reflects the Bank’s continuing commitment to the company and its successful development. Continue Reading
ADM Capital’s funds, KCRF and KGF, members of a group of funds with the participation of Kazyna Capital Management JSC (owned by National Management Holding “Baiterek” JSC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announce completion of the acquisition of the controlling stake in Chaplin Cinemas network. Continue Reading
Runa Capital, a Moscow-based global tech-focused venture capital firm, announced yesterday the first closing of its new fund, Runa Capital II. With a target size of $200 million, the firm will continue investing in tech-based companies worldwide, focusing especially on Europe. The amount of the first closing has not been disclosed. Continue Reading
Source – East-West Digital News Utinet.ru, e96.ru and Sotmarket, three major Russian e-commerce companies, announced yesterday the completion of their merger process – started last year – into an integrated company, christened “Platform Utinet.Ru.” Part of the company’s stock is being floated on the Moscow exchange following Utinet’s IPO in 2011. Continue Reading
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has participated in a bond issuance by Kazakhstan’s national railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). The Bank participated in the longer-term tranche of the Eurobond. Continue Reading
Russia’s Far East occupies one-third of the country’s territory and accounts for more than nine percent of the world’s forests. Forestry there thus plays a crucial role, locally and further afield, supplying livelihoods for millions of people and a valuable habitat for flora and fauna, including the endangered Amur tiger. Continue Reading