Category Archives: News

State Street Investment Management and Blackstone Credit & Insurance to launch new European CLO ETF

Blackstone

LONDON & NEW YORK – 9 September 2025 – State Street Investment Management (“State Street IM”) and Blackstone Credit & Insurance (“Blackstone”) today announce the upcoming launch of an actively managed European Collateralised Loan Obligation (CLO) ETF, building on the existing liquid credit partnership between the two firms.

The European CLO market, currently valued at €250 billion, has grown at an average of 8% in the past 5 years and is forecast to result in €50 billion of issuance by year-end 2025. In anticipation of this investment opportunity, the new fund will invest in floating rate AAA rated tranches of Euro-denominated debt issued by CLOs, giving access to European senior secured corporate loans and bonds.

As sub-investment manager of the ETF, Blackstone will actively manage the securities, while, as the ETF sponsor and investment manager, State Street IM is responsible for the governance of the ETF and will also oversee distribution to institutional investors, including asset managers, asset owners, private banks and wealth managers.

The ETF will be the first credit collaboration between the two firms in Europe, building on their US credit partnership which includes two US ETFs sponsored by State Street IM and sub-advised by Blackstone that focus on the loan and high yield spaces. Having been an investor in active CLOs dating back to 2001, Blackstone has extensive experience with active CLO investment and issuance through cycles.

This new initiative brings two leaders in the asset management industry together to strive to deliver a new solution for investors. As a leading provider of ETFs for more than three decades, State Street IM has a long history of delivering innovative products to market including the first US ETF, launched in 1993. Blackstone is the largest global manager of CLOs and leveraged loans.[1] The firm set a record for global annual CLO issuance in 2024, beating its own previous record set in 2021, underlining the firm’s status as a leader in this field.

Ann Prendergast, Head of EMEA at State Street Investment Management, commented: “Building on more than a decade of partnership with Blackstone, we are excited at the opportunity to provide European investors diversified exposure to the CLO market. Both State Street IM and Blackstone have brought our deep expertise and global scale to bear in the development of this product. Through an active ETF structure, we will leverage this expertise with a shared goal of generating higher returns from liquid debt tranches, which have exhibited historically high yields and a low duration risk profile.”
 
Dan Leiter, Global Head of Liquid Credit Strategies and Head of International for Blackstone Credit & Insurance, adds: “We are excited to partner with State Street to broaden access to liquid credit in Europe. As the largest CLO manager globally, we see strong momentum in Europe, which is an area of conviction and growth for Blackstone and our credit business.”

Mark Alberici, Global Head of Product Innovation and Strategic Partnership at State Street Investment Management, comments:“With this launch, we are expanding our liquid credit partnership with Blackstone beyond the US and are excited to bring Blackstone’s historical expertise in CLOs to the European market via the UCITS ETF structure, as we continue to democratize investing by helping reduce barriers to entry into this historically hard-to-access area of the market.”
 
Michael Sobol, Global Head of CLO investing for Blackstone Credit & Insurance, adds: “The European credit market offers a robust and attractive set of investing opportunities. This initiative builds on our 25-year presence in the region and our leadership in the CLO market both in Europe and globally with our track record of performance and delivering for investors.”

Following regulatory approval, the ETF is expected to be available to institutional investors in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom via listings on Deutsche Börse Xetra, Borsa Italiana and the London Stock Exchange. More detailed information on the ETF will be available in due course.

[1] Creditflux and 9fin CLO manager AUM rankings as of Q2 2025.

About Blackstone Credit & Insurance
Blackstone Credit & Insurance (“BXCI”) is one of the world’s leading credit investors. Our investments span the credit markets, including private investment grade, asset-based lending, public investment grade and high yield, sustainable resources, infrastructure debt, collateralized loan obligations, direct lending and opportunistic credit. We seek to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for institutional and individual investors by offering companies capital needed to strengthen and grow their businesses. BXCI is also a leading provider of investment management services for insurers, helping those companies better deliver for policyholders through our world-class capabilities in investment grade private credit. 

About State Street Investment Management
At State Street Investment Management, we have been helping to deliver better outcomes to institutions, financial intermediaries, and investors for nearly half a century. Starting with our early innovations in indexing and ETFs, our rigorous approach continues to be driven by market-tested expertise and a relentless commitment to those we serve. With over $5 trillion in assets managed*, clients in over 60 countries, and a global network of strategic partners, we use our scale to create a comprehensive and cost-effective suite of investment solutions that help investors get wherever they want to go.

*This figure is presented as of June 30, 2025 and includes ETF AUM of $1,689.83 billion USD of which approximately $116.05 billion USD in gold assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Investment Management are affiliated. Please note all AUM is unaudited.

State Street Global Advisors is now State Street Investment Management. Please click here for more information.

Media Contacts:
Blackstone
Felix Lettau
+447587020020
felix.lettau@blackstone.com

State Street Investment Management
Joseph Cockerline
+447792968506
jcockerline@statestreet.com

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Mistral: AI for tomorrow’s enterprise

Index Ventures

Mistral cofounders: Timothée Lacroix, Arthur Mensch, Guillaume Lample

INDEX PERSPECTIVE

By Julia Andre

Strong relationships create their own serendipity. A few years ago, my colleague Jan Hammer and I were visiting the Paris HQ of Alan, the digital health insurance platform in which Index was an early investor. Alan’s CEO and co-founder, Jean-Charles Samuelian-Werve, mentioned that he was incubating an open-source AI startup called Mistral a couple of floors below. After meeting his co-founder Arthur Mensch, we knew we had to be part of the journey.

Index invests in people as much as we invest in companies – which is why, after cutting that first seed check for Mistral, we’re thrilled to be continuing to support Arthur and the team in their latest funding round. At heart, Arthur is the kind of deeply technical engineer who could easily be building Mistral’s core models himself. Yet he’s shown himself to be talented at communicating Mistral’s bigger vision to customers, investors and policymakers. As a founder, it’s rare and incredibly powerful to be able to flip so fluidly between the close-up and the birds-eye view of your company.

That macro perspective is crucial as Mistral rides – and drives – a transformational wave in how businesses use AI. It’s no longer an experimental, ‘nice-to-have’ technology that employees are using ad-hoc; instead, we’re moving towards a world in which every major company will need to have a customized intelligence at its core. ASML’s decision to strategically partner with Mistral is a reflection of this. Mistral has shown impressive execution in building custom decentralized frontier AI solutions to solve the most complex engineering and industrial problems. More than simply selling cutting-edge models and LLMs, Mistral is en route to becoming the implementation partner of choice for enterprise – a one-stop shop for organizations putting AI to work at scale.

Mistral is the unquestioned AI leader being built out of Europe. Yet what excites us most is that it’s still early days. The enterprise AI market is just beginning to take shape, and Mistral’s success sets it up to be one of the big winners over the long term. We’re delighted to support them as they build the crucial AI infrastructure of tomorrow.

THE DETAILS

Mistral AI raises €1.7bn to accelerate technological progress with AI

Mistral announced a Series C funding round of €1.7bn at a €11.7bn post-money valuation. This investment fuels the company’s scientific research to keep pushing the frontier of AI to tackle the most critical and sophisticated technological challenges faced by strategic industries.

The Series C funding round is led by leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, ASML Holding NV (ASML).

“ASML is proud to enter a strategic partnership with Mistral AI, and to be lead investor in this funding round. The collaboration between Mistral AI and ASML aims to generate clear benefits for ASML customers through innovative products and solutions enabled by AI, and will offer potential for joint research to address future opportunities.” said ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet.

For the last two years, Mistral has advanced AI through cutting-edge research and strategic partnerships with corporate and industrial champions. They will continue to develop custom decentralized frontier AI solutions that solve the most complex engineering and industrial problems. It powers enterprises, public sectors, and industries through state-of-the-art models, tailored solutions, and high-performance compute infrastructure.

“This investment brings together two technology leaders operating in the same value chain. We have the ambition to help ASML and its numerous partners solve current and future engineering challenges through AI, and ultimately to advance the full semiconductor and AI value chain”, said Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch.

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Oracle Red Bull Racing And Carlyle Form Strategic Partnership

Carlyle

Carlyle becomes Oracle Red Bull Racing’s exclusive investment management partner, marking the first partnership between a Formula One team and a major global private markets firm.

Milton Keynes, UK and Washington, DC – Oracle Red Bull Racing and Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG), one of the world’s largest global investment firms, today announced a multi-year global partnership. Carlyle has become the Team’s exclusive partner in the investment management industry, marking the first partnership between a Formula 1 team and a major global private markets firm.

In both investing and Formula 1®, success is defined by the smallest margins, achieved through relentless precision, flawless execution, and the strength of a world-class team. This partnership brings together two leaders at the forefront of their fields, recognised globally for performance, innovation, and a shared drive to win.

Both industries are in periods of growth, powered by technology, fueled by data, and reaching a broader audience than ever before. Formula 1® is expanding its global fan base and redefining engagement in one of the world’s most elite sports. Private markets are becoming increasingly accessible, creating new opportunities for investors worldwide. Together, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Carlyle will open new avenues for engagement, deepen global connectivity, and pursue data and technology-enabled initiatives that support their shared ambition to broaden access across private markets and Formula 1.

As part of the agreement, Carlyle branding will be featured on the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB21 challenger and across key team assets, including the car chassis, drivers’ team kit, pit wall and garage environment. The partnership will be activated across the global Formula 1® calendar, with Oracle Red Bull Racing providing Carlyle with a powerful platform to engage with clients, partners, and communities around the world.

Laurent Mekies, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Carlyle to the team. Both of our organizations are built on world-class talent, bold thinking, and a drive to perform at the highest level. As an iconic firm in global finance, Carlyle brings a long-term perspective with an expansive network, and we look forward to building a powerful partnership on and off the track. Formula 1® demands relentless focus and precision, and we see clear alignment with Carlyle’s approach to investing.” 

Harvey Schwartz, CEO of Carlyle, said: “Our industry is undergoing an extraordinary transformation, fueled by greater access to private markets and growing interest from a new generation of investors. That same spirit of growth and inclusivity is reshaping Formula 1®, as Oracle Red Bull Racing leads the way in expanding the sport to new audiences globally. This partnership unites two high-performing teams driven by innovation and excellence. We’re excited to partner with one of the most illustrious brands in global sport to engage new audiences and create long-term value together.”

This collaboration underscores the growing intersection between high-performance sport and private capital. Carlyle continues to invest in building impactful partnerships and expanding awareness of private markets through influential global platforms.

Red Bull Racing gallery of images

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Media Contacts

Oracle Red Bull Racing

Madeleine Coe

Senior Communications Manager

Madeleine.coe@redbulltechnology.com 

 

Carlyle
Brittany Bensaull
Global Head of Corporate Communications 
brittany.bensaull@carlyle.com

About Carlyle

Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit, and Carlyle AlpInvest. With $465 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2025, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies, and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,300 people in 27 offices across four continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-carlyle-group/

Instagram: @onecarlyle

X: @OneCarlyle 

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Abenex completes the sale of Inlog following a successful transformation phase

Abenex

Five years after acquiring Inlog from US-based industrial group Haemonetics, Abenex announces the trade sale of the medical software provider specialised in blood product traceability and laboratory management. This transaction marks the conclusion of a strategic and operational partnership that enabled Inlog to reach a new stage of development, both in France and internationally.

 

A key player in the transmission and medical data protection

Founded in 1992 in Limonest (Rhône), Inlog has since become one of Europe’s leading medical software providers, specialising in solutions for laboratories, hospitals, and blood transfusion centres. Its software suites are used by over 630 public and private clients across 12 countries, including major public player of the blood transfusion and several Red Cross institutions internationally. Inlog also offers best-in-class solutions for quality management and regulatory compliance within laboratories. The Group employs around 80 people worldwide.

 

Accelerated growth driven by a focused strategy

Since Abenex’s investment in 2020, Inlog has undergone an ambitious transformation phase, establishing itself as an independent company following its carve-out from the Haemonetics Group and accelerating its growth trajectory. The management team has been strengthened, a new ERP system implemented, and R&D activities brought in-house to ensure tighter control over innovation. Geographically, Inlog expanded its presence in the DACH region with the opening of a subsidiary in Germany in 2022, to better serve the German, Swiss, and Austrian markets. In parallel, the company completed three strategic acquisitions: Moonchase in Belgium (2023), which enhanced its offering for laboratories with a web-based solution and entering the Benelux region; and Ubilab (2023) and Viskali (2022) in France, which deepened Inlog’s expertise in quality management software. Inlog has achieved significant growth, doubled its sales and solidified its position as a leading provider of critical processes digitalisation services in the healthcare sector.

 

A new chapter to accelerate innovation and international expansion

This change in ownership marks the beginning of a new phase of development for Inlog, with a clear ambition to strengthen its international footprint and drive innovation in response to the evolving digital and regulatory challenges of the healthcare sector. This new chapter builds on the solid foundations established in recent years: sustained growth momentum, a recognised software offering, and a resilient business model. It also extends the company’s societal commitments — Inlog became a purpose-driven company in 2023, with a governance framework aligned with long-term sustainability and positive impact objectives.

 

David Kalfon, CEO and President of Inlog, comments:
“We are extremely proud of the journey we have taken alongside Abenex. Their support has been instrumental in structuring our growth, expanding and modernising our software suite, and entering new markets. We look forward to this next chapter with confidence and enthusiasm, alongside our new shareholder.”

 

Thomas Peretti, Partner at Abenex, adds:
“Inlog is a prime example of our engaged and operational investment approach, working alongside passionate management teams. In just five years, the company has undergone a profound transformation — expanding its geographic footprint, significantly improving its ESG performance, and broadening its software offering, all while maintaining an outstanding level of quality and customer satisfaction. This remarkable trajectory also translated into a strong performance for our Funds. We are proud to have played a role in this success and confident in Inlog’s ability to continue its development.”

 

Deal participants (Sell-side)

Sellers

  • Inlog: David Kalfon and the management team
  • Abenex: Christian Dorléac, Thomas Peretti, Angèle France, Foucault Crombez

Sell-Side Advisors

  • M&A: Lincoln International (Matthieu Rosset, François Rispoli, François-Xavier Moisan, Arthur Legrand, Adrien Senechal, Jérémy Eyer) and Atguen Advisory (Jean-David Sultan)
  • M&A Legal: McDermott Will & Schulte (Grégoire Andrieux, Robin Lamour, Charlotte Michellet)
  • Management Advisory: Duroc Partners (Erwan Bordet, Faustine Paoluzzo)
  • Financial DD: 8Advisory (Gennat Mouline, Frédéric Blache, Xavier Parenty, Alexandre Pommier)
  • Commercial and Strategic DD: EY-Parthenon (Gianluigi Indino, Arnaud Laferte, Divya Claver, Hugo Jennequin)
  • Legal and Social DD: Grant Thornton (Caroline Luche Rocchia, Christine D’Ovidio, Sahra Hagani, Natalia Moya-Fernandez)
  • Tax DD: Arsène Taxand (David Chaumontet, Magali Mazzuco)
  • IT DD: Vaultinum (Philippe Thomas, Juliette Cazenave, Jonathan Berdah)
  • ESG DD: PwC (Jorik Geiger)

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TenFifty Capital, a New European CRE Lending Platform, Announces Its Launch

Apollo logo

Led by CEO and Industry Veteran Hugh Fraser, TenFifty Launches in Alliance with Apollo

Firm to Focus on Small- and Mid-Market Commercial Real Estate Lending Opportunities

MADRID, Sept. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TenFifty Capital (“TenFifty” or “the firm”), a new European focused commercial real estate lending platform for the small- and mid-market space, today announced its official launch. TenFifty is led by founder and CEO Hugh Fraser, with a senior, pan-European team investing in core markets across the continent and the UK.

TenFifty launches in alliance with Apollo (NYSE: APO), and its origination pipeline is expected to complement Apollo’s existing large loan strategy. TenFifty will focus on €10-50 million loans and the firm aims to originate €1-2 billion of loans year one, focusing on senior secured lending to a mid-cap market segment that is structurally underserved. TenFifty aims to bring speed and certainty of execution to its borrowers and meet growing demand for new issue acquisition loans and refinancings, particularly as traditional lenders scale back origination activity.

Founder and CEO Hugh Fraser said, “I’ve long held the belief that the small and mid-market European CRE debt space is often neglected and ripe for improvement. TenFifty Capital exists to address that gap, with a genuinely pan-European platform dedicated to supporting this sector of the market. I’m thrilled to be working with a company of Apollo’s calibre, having experienced first-hand the strength of their balance sheet, but more importantly, the strength of the Apollo team’s approach to building long-term partnerships. In 2017, Apollo was the first lender to support a UK Retail warehouse strategy I was leading at that time, and they quickly became one of our most reliable. Forming genuine, lasting partnerships with our borrowers is a key principle of how TenFifty conducts its business, and this alignment in approach and vision is exciting for us all.”

Apollo Partner and Head of Real Estate Credit, Europe, Ben Eppley said: “Hugh has earned a remarkable reputation in the European real estate market. We have worked with him for many years and are pleased to now formally partner with the launch of TenFifty as a new, high-performing platform. At Apollo, as one of the largest non-bank commercial real estate lenders in Europe, we believe this small and mid-market strategy will be highly synergistic with our broader real estate credit business and enhance Apollo’s granular origination capability, while maintaining a focus on first lien mortgages secured by high-quality assets and institutional borrowers.”

Fraser launches the Firm with extensive experience in building vertically integrated real estate lending platform across origination, execution and asset management capabilities. Prior to launching TenFifty, Fraser was the co-founder of M7 since 2009, where as head of capital markets he led the sourcing and managing of more than €6 billion of financings across 150+ facilities in addition to leading its small balance lending strategy for two fund vintages. Throughout his career, Fraser has developed extensive relationships with borrowers across the continent in addition to banking partners and institutional investors and developers.

TenFifty collaborates with borrowers in multiple sectors and across a wide spectrum of asset types, including logistics, industrial, retail warehousing, senior/student housing, hospitality, prime office, self-storage, parking and food retail.

With presence in Amsterdam, Berlin, London and Madrid, TenFifty will invest throughout core European markets including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ireland and beyond. The TenFifty team is deeply entrenched in these core markets, bringing not only geographical coverage but also local knowledge and understanding of regional nuances, regulatory frameworks and market dynamics.

About TenFifty Capital 
Founded by Hugh Fraser in September 2025, TenFifty Capital is a non-bank commercial real estate lender focused on the €10-50 million sector of the European real estate debt market. TenFifty blend intelligent capital with unwavering commitment, agile solutions, and an elite, long-term partnership approach. In alliance with Apollo Global Management, we’re setting a new standard for excellence. To learn more, visit www.tenfiftycapital.com.

About Apollo
Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of June 30, 2025, Apollo had approximately $840 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

Contacts

For TenFifty:
Hugh Fraser
CEO and Founder
partnerships@tenfiftycapital.com

For Apollo:
Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
(212) 822-0540
IR@apollo.com

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
(212) 822-0491
Communications@apollo.com / EuropeanMedia@apollo.com

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The Missing Emotional Layer in AI: Our Investment in Nuance Labs

Lightspeed

Nuance Labs Co-Founders Fangchang Ma and Edward Zhang

We’ve all experienced the uncanny valley: the slight discomfort when watching an AI avatar speak, the sense that something fundamental is missing despite impressive technical capabilities. Today’s AI can reason brilliantly and generate human-like text, but when it comes to emotional intelligence, AI remains surprisingly tone-deaf.

That’s where Nuance Labs comes in. We at Lightspeed are excited to invest in their seed round alongside Accel as they build what we believe will become a foundational layer for emotional intelligence in AI.

As IQ becomes commoditized through increasingly capable language models, emotional quotient (EQ) emerges as the critical differentiator. Yet we believe current AI systems fundamentally miss this dimension. AI avatars feel robotic, not because of pixel quality, but because they lack the subtle emotional expressiveness that makes human faces compelling, and they are far from real-time responsiveness.

Nuance’s breakthrough insight mirrors that of large language models: just as LLMs learned to understand meaning by predicting the next word, AI can understand emotions by learning to predict human emotions and behavior.

Nuance Labs is building a unified foundation model for real-time generation and understanding of realistic human expression across multiple simultaneous modalities, including text, speech, and video. This unlocks new categories of AI interaction:

  • Real-time emotional generation: Lifelike avatars that don’t just speak words but convey appropriate emotional responses through coordinated facial expressions, vocal inflection, and body language. Imagine AI therapists that pause thoughtfully, offer encouraging expressions, and adapt their demeanor to your emotional state, all in real-time.
  • Real-time emotion understanding: AI systems that can read subtle emotional cues as they happen, enabling applications like live coaching systems that detect when you’re losing confidence during a presentation, or interview AI that understands not just what candidates say but how they say it.

The team brings exceptional depth: Fangchang Ma and Edward Zhang previously built research teams at Apple, contributing to products like Vision Pro’s Digital Persona system. Their combined expertise in computer graphics, robotics, and machine learning, along with thousands of academic citations, strongly positions them to solve this technically complex challenge.

We’re entering an era where AI interactions will be measured not just by accuracy or speed, but by emotional authenticity. Any interface where humans interact with AI, from customer service and education to entertainment and healthcare, will benefit from emotional intelligence. We believe Nuance Labs is building the infrastructure that will power this next generation of AI experiences.

The uncanny valley stands as a barrier to natural human-AI interaction. Nuance Labs is building a bridge that will enable an entire ecosystem of emotionally intelligent AI applications. We’re thrilled to support their mission to make AI interactions as natural and emotionally rich as human conversation itself.

Excited to bring emotional intelligence to artificial intelligence? Nuance is hiring.

 

The content here should not be viewed as investment advice, nor does it constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities. Certain statements herein are the opinions and beliefs of Lightspeed; other market participants could take different views.

Authors

Nnamdi Iregbulem

Nnamdi Iregbulem

Guru Chahal

Guru Chahal

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CVC Secondary Partners backs TDR’s investment in David Lloyd

CVC Capital Partners

Leading investors back next growth phase of David Lloyd

TDR Capital LLP (“TDR”), a leading UK-based private equity firm, is pleased to announce the successful closing of a newly formed continuation vehicle (“TDR Capital Titan”) which has been formed to acquire majority control of David Lloyd Leisure (“David Lloyd”), Europe’s largest operator of premium racquets, health and fitness clubs, from TDR Capital III and its co-investors (“TDR III”).

TDR Capital Titan will look to build on the success of TDR III and to continue the company’s ambitious growth plans. It also enables TDR III investors to realise their investment in a high-quality, well-performing asset, and provides new investors with the opportunity to invest behind David Lloyd and its future expansion.

TDR Capital Titan has been backed by a range of leading investors and asset managers, including the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (acting by its investment manager, TCI Fund Management), investment funds managed by Coller Capital, Apollo’s Sponsor and Secondary Solutions (S3) business, CVC Secondary Partners and Hollyport Capital.

TDR believes that the high quality of this new investor base demonstrates the attractive nature of the opportunity and the belief in David Lloyd’s excellent performance and growth prospects. TDR Capital Titan and its co-investors have set aside over £100m of additional capital to invest in the business and support its ongoing expansion. David Lloyd currently has a strong pipeline of future club openings across Europe and the UK and continues to roll out its premium spa and wellness offering and build additional padel courts to attract new members.

Completion of the acquisition by TDR Capital Titan, which is subject to customary conditions, is expected to take place in October 2025.

Russell Barnes, CEO David Lloyd Leisure, said: “We are delighted to have TDR’s continued backing as we enter our next phase of growth. Coming off the back of our strongest year yet – both in terms of membership numbers and the performance of the business – we continue to see huge opportunities for David Lloyd across Europe and in the UK. Our focus will remain on investing in premium site features, including spas and facilities for fast-growing sports like padel, where we are the UK’s leading operator. These investments are driving improved customer satisfaction levels and record numbers of members choosing premium packages, and we are confident that this strategy will continue to deliver results.”

Tom Mitchell, Managing Partner at TDR Capital, said: “David Lloyd has been a highly successful investment for TDR to date, achieving significant growth and operational transformation over the first period of our ownership. We remain excited by the opportunities ahead for the business which are supported by growing consumer demand for premium wellness services. We saw significant investor interest in TDR Capital Titan and look forward to working with our new partners to support David Lloyd’s next stage of growth. The transaction has allowed our current investors the option for a full exit, and we are very pleased to be continuing our work with Glenn, Russell and the wider David Lloyd team.”

Since acquiring David Lloyd in November 2013, TDR III has worked in partnership with the company’s management team to transform the business, delivering sustained growth and improved customer experience. Since 2013, David Lloyd has nearly doubled the number of clubs, opening over 40 new locations in the UK and 30 across Europe, tripled the number of employees to 11,600 and nearly doubled membership numbers to over 800,000.

Jefferies acted as sole financial advisor to TDR on the transaction and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal adviser in relation to the transaction and the establishment of TDR Capital Titan.

Morgan Stanley & Co. International Plc acted as financial adviser to David Lloyd and Travers Smith advised David Lloyd management in relation to the transaction.

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CEFC, La Caisse launch $250m Australian ag and carbon platform, Rio Tinto signs up as offtaker

LaCaisse

The CEFC and global investment group La Caisse (formerly CDPQ) have launched a AU$250 million landmark, large-scale, diversified agricultural platform to generate high-quality Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), with Rio Tinto as a foundation offtaker.

La Caisse has invested AU$200 million alongside a AU$50 million commitment from the CEFC to create the Meldora platform (Meldora), managed by Australian agriculture and natural capital asset manager, Gunn Agri Partners (GAP). Meldora has purchased its first asset, a broadacre and irrigation farm of more than 15,000 hectares in Central Queensland.

Meldora will combine sustainable agricultural production with large-scale Environmental Plantings under the ACCU scheme, underpinned by a long term offtake from Rio Tinto for part of the ACCUs to be issued, creating both economic and environmental benefits. Under the Environmental Plantings methodology for ACCUs, native vegetation is planted and maintained for a minimum of 25 years for some projects and as long as a century for others, providing long term carbon sequestration and biodiversity benefits.

The investment will promote the integration of sustainable Australian agricultural production with restoration of local species vegetation that generates carbon credits, harnessing carbon sequestration and supporting the efforts of the sector to remain competitive in the global net zero economy.

Emmanuel Jaclot, Executive Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability, La Caisse said: “This investment is a timely step toward advancing resilient, climate-smart agriculture in Australia, while delivering measurable environmental and economic value. Teaming up once again with the CEFC and GAP – and with Rio Tinto as a foundation offtaker – reinforces our confidence in this platform’s ability to scale. It reflects La Caisse’s commitment to sustainable land use and our broader net zero ambition, as we position ourselves early in a growing market for high-quality carbon credits.”

La Caisse’s investment highlights growing global interest in carbon farming and sustainable agriculture as a valuable asset class.

CEFC Head of Natural Capital, Heechung Sung, said: “This initiative represents a long term investment in nature and land-based strategies in Australian agriculture. It’s a great privilege to again be able to work with La Caisse and GAP to invest in this strategy and alongside Rio Tinto, who have demonstrated with their long term offtake, a commitment to invest in high-integrity carbon credits.”

“By adopting an integrated sustainable land management model, this strategy can produce high-quality agricultural commodities while also increasing biodiversity, improving ecosystems, and earning carbon revenues through the investment in native landscape restoration. ”

“Sustainable agricultural practices across Australian farmland paves the way for a more resilient future with better environmental outcomes for the sector. By utilising a high-integrity method – Environmental Plantings – that also supports biodiversity, these carbon credits have the potential to command a premium in the market. This reinforces the role of nature-based solutions in climate action and underscores the increasing value of sustainable land management and investment in the restoration of trees and vegetation, as we transition to a low carbon economy.”

Gunn Agri Partners’ joint Managing Director, Bradley Wheaton, said: “The scale of this investment and the scope of the Meldora platform means that it is uniquely ambitious in integrating the restoration of native vegetation in the landscape of an institutional-quality agricultural investment. Through diversification across irrigation, dryland cropping and carbon credit generation, the investment model redefines the future of farming.”

ABOUT LA CAISSE

At La Caisse, formerly CDPQ, we have invested for 60 years with a dual mandate: generate optimal long-term returns for our 48 depositors, who represent over 6 million Quebecers, and contribute to Québec’s economic development.

As a global investment group, we are active in the major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. As at June 30, 2025, La Caisse’s net assets totalled CAD 496 billion. For more information, visit lacaisse.com or consult our LinkedIn or Instagram pages.

La Caisse is a registered trademark of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec that is protected in Canada and other jurisdictions and licensed for use by its subsidiaries.

ABOUT CEFC

The CEFC is Australia’s specialist climate investor, helping cut emissions in the race towards net zero by 2050. We invest in the latest technologies to generate, store, manage and transmit clean energy. Our discounted asset finance programs help put more Australians on the path to sustainability, in their homes and on the road. CEFC capital is also backing the net zero transformation of our natural capital, infrastructure, property and resources sectors, while providing critical capital for the emerging climate tech businesses of tomorrow. With access to more than $32 billion from the Australian Government, we invest to deliver a positive return for taxpayers.

ABOUT GUNN AGRI PARTNERS (GAP)

Gunn Agri Partners was established in 2013 and is managed by a highly credentialed team of agricultural and investment industry professionals, managing over $1.1 billion in assets and commitments. They combine decades of experience in institutional investment management and farm asset and natural capital management.

Gunn Agri Partners adopts an industry-leading framework that integrates sustainability in the design and delivery of its strategies and a mandate to transparently report against our investor’s targets. Investments strategies currently managed by Gunn Agri Partners include row crops, horticulture, mixed farming, livestock and natural capital. For more information, visit www.gunnagri.com.

ABOUT RIO TINTO

Rio Tinto operates in 35 countries where our 60,000 employees are working to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs. Our portfolio includes iron ore, copper, aluminium and a range of other minerals and materials needed for people, communities and nations to grow and prosper, and for the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.

We have more than 150 years of mining and processing experience guiding our work. We have put climate change at the heart of our strategy, committing to a 50% reduction in Scope 1&2 emissions by 2030 and net zero operational emissions by 2050. We are combining investments in commodities that enable the energy transition with actions to decarbonise our operations and value chains.

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Payworks announces strategic investment from Hg

HG Capital

Winnipeg, MB – September 8th – Payworks, a Canadian leader in total workforce management, has entered a strategic partnership with Hg, a leading software and services investor with deep expertise in human capital management (HCM).

The partnership marks a defining milestone in Payworks’ 25-year trajectory, fast-tracking the company’s growth, diversification and leadership strategy across the sector. By combining Payworks’ local expertise with Hg’s specialization in scaling software businesses, the investment will help to drive enhanced product development, expansion across the Canadian HCM landscape and an elevated client experience.

“For 25 years, Payworks has been building proprietary workforce management solutions tailored to Canadian employers,” said Barbara Gamey, Co-founder of Payworks. “The Payworks ownership group is excited to welcome Hg to our partnership. Their investment enables us to accelerate our innovation and value creation agenda, positioning Payworks for sustained leadership and diversification in the Canadian market.”

Payworks’ operations in Canada remain unchanged. Its team of more than 600 employees and network of offices across the country continue to support the company’s strategy, anchoring growth in service to Canadian businesses and their employees.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Payworks. In our research we surveyed more than six hundred payroll and HR customers in Canada and found that Payworks has a best-in-class product with the highest customer satisfaction. We look forward to supporting the business in its next era of growth” said Alexander Johnson, Director, and Hector Guinness, Partner, at Hg.

“Payworks’ track record of serving Canadian businesses, combined with our global HCM and software expertise, creates an exciting opportunity to accelerate innovation and reach more Canadians” added Robert Citrino, Principal at Hg.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

For further information, please contact:

Payworks
Jaclyn Christie, Vice President, Marketing, Jaclyn.christie@payworks.ca

Hg
Tom Eckersley, tom.eckersley@hgcapital.com
Sam Ferris, sam.ferris@hgcapital.com

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Ardian arranges a unitranche financing to support the LBO of implid, a leading player in accounting, legal, and business consulting services

Ardian

Ardian, a world-leading private investment firm, today announces the arrangement of a unitranche facility to support the primary LBO of implid and the entry of EMZ Partners as a minority shareholder alongside over fifty managers reinvesting in the transaction. The financing package also includes a sizeable, committed line to support the group’s external growth strategy.

Founded in 1973, implid is a leading player in accounting, legal, and business consulting services in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. implid is the first company in France to offer the integrated expertise of more than 900 professionals: chartered accountants, statutory auditors, lawyers, notaries, judicial officers, as well as consultants and recruiters. This combination of regulated professions and high value-added services enables implid to meet all the needs of companies and their executives, in a constantly evolving regulatory and technological environment.

The group has experienced a strong growth trajectory, fueled by a successful digital transformation, and driven by robust organic momentum and strategic acquisitions carried out in recent years under the leadership of its founder, Jean-Loup Rogé, and the current management team.

” We are delighted to be partnering with Ardian, whose support will enable us to accelerate our development and take our collective project to the next level. We are now eager to roll out our growth strategy, combining organic development and external growth, to make implid a leading player on a national scale.” Jean-Loup Rogé, CEO and Founder of implid Group

” We are proud to support implid, its management team, and EMZ in this new phase of growth. The group has demonstrated a remarkable growth trajectory, supported by a comprehensive service offering and a strong regional presence. We are convinced that our partnership will help the group achieve its ambitions, through the consolidation of its existing expertise and strategic acquisitions.” Jean-David Ponsin, Co-Head of Private Credit France, Ardian

List of participants

  • Ardian

    • Ardian: Jean-David Ponsin, Melchior Huet, Alexis Bernet
    • Legal Advisor (Financing): Winston & Strawn (Mounir Letayf, Adeline Roboam)

  • Implid

    • Implid: Jean-Loup Rogé, Philippe Duval, Nicolas Ciampi
    • Financial Advisor: D&A (Jean-Marc Dayan, Alban Boitel, Pierre Darras, Mathilde Bilon)
    • Legal Advisor (financing): Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Nicolas Barberis, Julien Rebibo)

  • EMZ Partners

    • EMZ Partners: François Carré, Ludovic Bart, Sara Toublanc
    • Financial Advisor: Amala Partners (Nicolas Royer, Jad Sader)
    • Legal Advisor (financing): Paul Hastings (Sebastien Crepy, Olivier Deren, Vincent Načinović, Adèle P., Marc Zerah, Peter Pedrazzani, Charles Filleux Pommerol, Capucine Chareton, Camille Paulhac, Milica Antić)

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world-leading private investment firm, managing or advising $180bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,850 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. Private Wealth Solutions offers dedicated services and access solutions for private banks, family offices and private institutional investors worldwide. Ardian’s main shareholding group is its employees and we place great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 1,050+ employees, spread across 19 offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.
At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.

ardian.com

Media Contacts

ARDIAN

HEADLAND

ardian@headlandconsultancy.com

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