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XSML Unlocks the Congo River (Sub-Saharan Africa)

Sub-Saharan Africa-focused private equity fund manager XSML has invested in SOGETRA, a river and road transportation company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, through its Central Africa SME Fund, which is targeting US$25 million in commitments. SOGETRA plans to use the investment to construct new barges and tugboats for transport on the Congo River. Financial terms of the transaction… Read More

Marlow Acquires Various Assets of Waste Giant (Sub-Saharan Africa)

South African asset management and advisory firm Marlow Capital has acquired an indirect holding in Waste Giant, a South African supplier of commercial and industrial waste solutions, through its portfolio company Wasteman Holdings, a South African waste management company. The investment will allow Wasteman to develop waste treatment assets, benefit from an expanded Mining Services Division and expand its fleet… Read More

Baring Vostok Gets US$1.5 Billion for Russian Fund (CEE and CIS)

Russian private equity firm Baring Vostok Capital Partners has closed its fifth Russia-focused fund, Baring Vostok Private Equity Fund V, at US$1.5 billion. The fund is divided into two components: a US$1.15 billion main fund which operates as a traditional private equity fund and a US$350 million co-investment fund. Baring Vostok surpassed the US$1.3 billion raised for its previous fund… Read More

Pearl Capital Partners Invests US$1.25 Million in Highland Seed Growers (Sub-Saharan Africa)

Uganda-based agriculture investment management firm Pearl Capital Partners has made its second investment in Tanzanian seed company Highland Seed Growers. The US$1.25 million investment was made using a quasi-equity debt instrument using capital from the US$12 million African Seed Investment Fund (ASIF). Pearl Capital Partners manages ASIF on behalf of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, an initiative… Read More

Chilean IT Firm Synapsis Buys Brazil’s Cyberlynxx (Latin America)

Chilean informational technology firm Synapsis has acquired 100 percent of Brazilian information technology company Cyberlynxx through a Brazilian subsidiary. Brazil-focused venture capital firm FIR Capital Partners, which held a 25 percent stake in Cyberlynxx, has received shares in Synapsis in exchange for its shares.  The transaction was reportedly valued at US$20 million. Read More

Investcorp to Acquire a 35 Percent Stake in Kuwaiti Automak (MENA)

United Arab Emirates-based alternative investment manager Investcorp will acquire a 35 percent stake in Kuwaiti vehicle leasing and rental company Automak through its US$1 billion Gulf Opportunity Fund. Automak operates a fleet of over 4,500 vehicles. The investment marks Investcorp’s second in Kuwait after its 2009 investment in Gulf Cryo, a manufacturer of industrial and medical gases. Financial details of… Read More

Promed Expands Generic Pharmaceutical Production in Katanga (Sub-Saharan Africa)

Sub-Saharan Africa-focused private equity fund manager XSML has invested in Promed, a generic drug manufacturer based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The investment was made from XSML’s Central Africa SME Fund, which targets investments in the DRC and the Central African Republic. Promed manufactures approximately 80 generic drugs and will use the investment to build a new… Read More

RDIF Announces First Pre-IPO Consortium Investment in the Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS (CEE and CIS)

Global asset manager BlackRock Investment Management has purchased an undisclosed number of shares in the Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the US$10 billion sovereign private equity fund sponsored by the Russian government to co-invest with international investors. BlackRock joins the RDIF, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and U.S.-based private equity firm Cartesian… Read More

IDFC Alternatives Partially Exits Gujarat Pipavav Port Stake (Asia)

Indian alternative asset manager IDFC Alternatives has sold approximately four percent of its stake in Gujarat Pipavav Port (Pipavav), the operator of India’s Port Pipavav, through a share sale on India’s National Stock Exchange. IDFC originally invested in Pipavav, which is also listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, through the India Development Fund and IDFC Private Equity Fund II. In… Read More

IFC Invests US$10 Million to Grow and Improve Small Businesses Across Central America (Latin America)

International Finance Corporation (IFC) is investing up to US$10 million in CoreCo Central America Fund I, a private equity fund managed by Central America-focused private equity firm CoreCo Holding. The fund, which is targeting total commitments of US$65 million, plans to invest in small and medium enterprises, particularly in underserved sectors such as healthcare, information technology, retail, and financial and… Read More

Navis Invests in OPV, Vietnamese Pharmaceutical Manufacturer (Asia)

Asia-focused private equity firm Navis Capital Partners has completed an investment into OPV Pharmaceutical Holdings, a Vietnamese manufacturer of branded generic pharmaceuticals. The majority of Navis’s investment came through the purchase of newly issued shares, which increased the capital base of OPV Pharmaceuticals. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Read More

Medtronic Acquires Private Equity-backed China Kanghui (Asia)

U.S.-based medical technology manufacturer Medtronic has agreed to acquire orthopedic device provider China Kanghui Holdings for a net transaction value of US$755 million. China Kanghui Holdings is backed by private equity investors IDG Capital Partners, TDF Capital, CDH Investments and Vivo Ventures, all of which will reportedly sell their stakes to Medtronic as part of the transaction. Read More