James Taylor

Blackstone has looked to strike a knockout blow in the battle for Equity Office, a US real estate business owned by Sam Zell, by increasing its bid to $38.3 billion and ramping up its break fee.

Franklin Templeton’s private equity arm has appointed Sean Wallace, who left JP Morgan earlier this month, to lead Darby Asia from Hong Kong.

3i has launched a new growth capital team in the US, as it looks to repeat its European success in the competitive mid-market space.

Private equity heavyweights are lining up to compete with trade players for the oilfield assets of Dominion, a US energy group, as the industry continues to target upstream energy assets.

Investcorp, the Bahrain-based alternative investment group, has launched a joint venture with WMG - a long/ short hedge fund focused on Asia.

The Private Equity Foundation, a new initiative designed to help the industry co-ordinate its charitable giving, launched in London last night.

Blackstone has looked to strike a knockout blow in the battle for Equity Office, a US real estate business owned by Sam Zell, by increasing its bid to $38.3 billion and ramping up its break fee.

Deutsche Bank’s asset management arm has continued the reorganisation of its alternative investments platform by taking a small stake in Aldus Equity, a US-based private equity investment and advisory firm.

Private equity has come under fire at the World Economic Forum in Davos, as trade unionists have used the event to condemn the “corporate greed” behind the industry.

Apax Partners has enjoyed a return of more than ten times its investment after selling Swedish healthcare business Mölnlycke to Investor and Morgan Stanley.