LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) – British buy-out firm 3i
has agreed to work closely with major investment partners to buy
into companies together, sidestepping the need to raise new
funding in the short term.

3i, which owns fashion retailer Hobbs and Tommee Tippee baby
bottle maker Mayborn, has been on a drive to reboot its flagging
fortunes after shareholder frustration at weak results from its
buyout business, together with a poor share price performance,
forced a change in chief executive last year.

LONDON (Reuters) – The London Stock Exchange (LSE.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it was seeking partnerships with fast-growing exchanges to boost its revenue, shunning pressure to consolidate further.

Exchanges are looking to buy each other due to falling trading volumes in an uncertain economic climate and increased regulation, which are squeezing profits.

LONDON (Reuters) – The collapse of the bid by private equity firm CVC Capital Partners CVC.UL to take Betfair (BETF.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) private highlights how it has become increasingly difficult to pull off such deals.

CVC said on Tuesday that it had ended its 1 billion pound ($1.5 billion) attempt to buy the online gambling company after the two failed to agree on price and strategy.

LONDON, May 13 (Reuters) – Private equity firm CVC Capital
Partners has been given an extra 24 hours to commit to a firm
bid for online gambling company Betfair, in what would
be the biggest deal taking a British listed company private in
more than a year.

The extension, which required consent from Betfair’s board
as well as Britain’s Takeover Panel, signals the two sides are
working together on a mutually acceptable offer, instead of CVC
pursuing a hostile bid.

LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) – Canada-based oil and gas explorer
Caracal Energy said it plans to make a stock market debut in
London to raise $150 million in funding for its exploration
programme in Chad.

Caracal, previously named Griffiths Energy International
after founder Bradley Griffiths, expects to be valued at around
$1 billion in the initial public offering (IPO), a person
familiar with the matter said.

LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) – An online service that enables
savers to earn interest by loaning money to other members of the
public is introducing a back-up fund to reimburse loans made
from Tuesday onwards if borrowers default.

Peer-to-peer lending is one of several alternative sources
of finance that have grown up as banks ration credit in response
to tougher capital rules and the economic slowdown. The sector’s
rapid growth has prompted regulators to look at how best to
ensure that individuals are aware of the risks and protected.

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) – Small British businesses have
turned to seeking funding from members of the public online
because of the slow speed at which banks process loan
applications, a report showed on Friday.

Peer-to-peer lending, which allows small investors to earn
interest from loaning money to individuals or businesses, is one
of several alternative sources of finance that have grown up as
banks ration credit in response to tougher capital rules and the
economic slowdown.

LONDON, April 8 (Reuters) – Crowdfunding websites helped
companies and individuals worldwide raise $2.7 billion from
members of the public in 2012, an 81 percent increase on the
previous year, data showed on Monday.

As banks rein in lending due to tougher capital rules and
greater regulatory scrutiny, crowdfunding, which originated in
the United States as a way to raise money for creative projects,
has expanded rapidly as an alternative source of finance.

By Olivia Oran and Kylie MacLellan and Elzio Barreto

(Reuters) – Global equity fundraising rose 24 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, as strong markets and easing concerns about the economy encouraged more companies to raise capital through initial public offerings and other capital market transactions.

Private equity-backed companies queued up to list shares as U.S. stock markets reached record highs, helping boost U.S. IPO volumes by 65 percent so far this quarter. Bankers expect more investments from the 2006-2007 buyout boom years to crowd the IPO market this year.

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) – Merlin Entertainments Group,
the private-equity backed owner of Madame Tussauds and Legoland,
is preparing to go public in either London or New York and has
been meeting with potential investors, its chief executive said
on Wednesday.

The world’s second largest visitor attraction operator
behind Walt Disney, had revenue of over one billion
pounds for the year to Dec. 29 2012, and was valued at 2.25
billion pounds ($3.41 billion) in 2010 when private equity firm
CVC Capital Partners bought a stake.