Private Equity 3 Days

Last updated: August 9, 2026, 11:42 PM ET

Deals & M&A

Private equity firms maintained a brisk pace of dealmaking, with several large transactions dominating headlines. The rise of bear hugs in UK take-privates highlights a growing trend, exemplified by Apollo’s £5.7bn bid for Easy Jet and Partners Group’s acquisition of a majority stake in AVK Power Solutions, a provider of power systems for data centers and AI infrastructure. In the US, Carlyle agreed to acquire a minority stake in Prime Capital Financial from Abry Partners, exiting one of the fastest-growing independent wealth management firms with over $50bn in AUM after three years of concentrated growth. In Europe, Wise Equity signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in E-Pharma Trento, an Italian pharmaceutical company, with plans to pursue bolt-on acquisitions to add new technologies or enhance manufacturing capacity. Eir Partners invested in Claims Bridge, a claims management software platform, and supported the add-on of Dialysis PPO, scaling the business organically and through M&A. In the radiopharmaceuticals space, Nordic Capital took private BWXT’s nuclear medicine business in an $800m deal, while healthcare workforce services continue to attract PE firms such as Accel-KKR, Bain, and Knox Lane, with eight deals tracked in the sector as tech advances drive demand.

Fundraising & Secondaries

On the capital markets side, Pantheon purchased a $523m slab of BlackRock TCP Capital’s private credit portfolio in a landmark business development company continuation vehicle, signaling continued appetite for private credit exposure. The infrastructure secondaries market is blooming, with single-asset secondaries gaining traction as a way for investors to access top assets, though discipline and entry valuations remain critical to ensuring buyers bag a good deal, according to Stafford’s William. Allianz reported record Q2 operating profit, driven by €39bn in asset management net inflows, with PIMCO and AGI pushing third-party AuM to a record €2.16tn. The strong inflows highlight persistent demand for fixed-income and multi-asset strategies.

People & Strategy

Notable personnel moves include Bernard Arnault installing Aymeric Le Clere as chairman and CEO of Financière Agache, the €3.1bn capital holding vehicle that anchors the family’s control of LVMH, in the latest reshuffle of the luxury giant’s holding structure. In Europe, partners have identified the top junior VCs to watch, highlighting rising talent in the venture ecosystem. Meanwhile, venture scouts are being deployed by a16z across the continent, with over 30 scouts hunting for deals, reflecting the firm’s growing commitment to European tech.