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EquityFC Blog
Physician - heal thyself! | 3 June 2010
The private equity industry continues to focus on good portfolio management, the profitability of fund investee companies and growth. But it's interesting to note any shifts in the industry ahead of a potential upswing in deal activity. Which leads us to a very interesting MBO announcement.
It seems Barclays Private Equity is buying itself out from its parent bank. Naturally, this is in part due to a new conservatism in banking (although Barclays was far from being the worst-hit in the financial crisis in 2008). But it also hints at a readiness to get daling again. Reuters reports sources claiming: "Barclays PE will target between 1.5 billion and 2 billion euros for its first independent fund." That's its first new money since a fund launched in 2007 and suggests there's going to be some acquisitions towards the end of the year.
It also suggests the guys at Barclays PE will have a new-found understanding of the pressures of being an MBO team. We'll see (and if anyone does an MBO with them after their own buyout in the summer, let us know how it goes!).