Toby Lewis

The Bahrain investment firm has joined the throng of MENA buyout firms continuing doing deals in the West despite the credit crunch.

Terra Firma will tomorrow launch its overhaul of the UK record business after buying it for £3.2 billion at the height of the buyout boom. It is expected to confirm job cuts at the company.

A survey has revealed lower mid-market buyout firms are widely appreciated by UK entrepreneurs despite the negative publicity the industry has received in the country.

Attracting a wide-ranging investor base, the Pakistani investment firm has closed its first domestic fund. In spite of the assassination of electoral candidate Benazir Bhutto, the fund’s management believes investors with a long-term view can seize an opportunity.

Mezzanine’s resurgence gathers apace as the European buyout firm diversifies into loan financing in the changed investment climate post-credit crunch.

The specialist investment firm’s loan book grew by 16.5 percent as it helped banks reduce their balance sheet exposure to transactions underwritten before the problems in the credit market became apparent.

The UK Chancellor has said troubled UK bank Northern Rock may elude the grasp of private bidders, despite US bank Goldman Sachs reportedly soliciting sovereign wealth funds on behalf of the government.

Mark Dickinson has joined Candover as the latest in a busy spate of people moves since the New Year.

Separately to a criminal prosecution of ex-West LB executive Jürgen Sengera, the collapse of Boxclever has resulted in various civil cases disputing information provided to French bank Natixis during the television rental business’ refinancing in 2002.

After a year of groundwork the Nordic buyout firm has bought two IT security companies and reformed them into a combined group with a third company. Litorina Kapital has also brought in the two companies’ former chief executive when they were owned by Bewator, Bo Kastensson.