Matilda Battersby

Management consultants McKinsey have called on pension funds to help India fund infrastructure improvements

Private investors are abandoning road and rail building partnerships in Russia after the Duma slashed its transport infrastructure budget by 90%

Natixis Capital Partners has closed its third fund on €420m for investment into corporate real estate in Benelux, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The UK-listed private equity frim is reportedly considering a move into investing in debt instruments. Other firms which have recently moved to take advantage of credit opportunities include Providence Equity Partners and BC Partners.

As the UK government reveals plans to lend £2bn of public money to struggling private firms engaged in private finance initiatives, research finds that 96% of contract managers were bullish on the overall performance of PFIs in 2008.

The European venture firm collected commitments from LPs in just three months for its latest early stage fund. It is the same size as its 2007 predecessor, which has been nearly fully deployed alongside a growth capital fund.

Creditors of Autodistribution, the debt-laden French car part distributor, have agreed to write down its debts in exchange for a €110m cash injection by private equity firms Towerbrook and InvestCorp.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has downgraded the UK private equity firm’s credit rating from A- to BBB+, citing a “negative” outlook for the firm amid a sharp rise in leverage and a drop in liquidity.

Carlyle wants to inject £25m into IMO Carwash, while TPG reportedly has offered to write a €60m equity cheque for UK chemicals company Vita. The actions are meant to trigger debt write-downs from portfolio company creditors.

Michael Queen will steer the private equity firm following Philip Yea's resignation from the top spot. Last year, 3i invested a total of £841m, down dramatically from the £1.8bn the prior year. 3i's share price has plummeted in recent months, this morning losing nearly 4%, giving it a £941m market capitalisation.