Money Buzz! Europa

Category: Investment

  • MoneyGram expands account deposit services with launch in Ukraine

    MoneyGram expands account deposit services with launch in Ukraine

    • MoneyGram is partnering with Industrialbank to create a new bank deposit service in Ukraine;
    • MoneyGram is the first company in the industry to enable consumers to send money directly to any receiver’s bank account in the country;
    • MoneyGram account deposit service is available at more than 400 banks across the globe.

    Customers simply enter the information required for the sender and receiver at the point of sale and then select the bank deposit option.

    In Ukraine, funds are available in the receiver’s bank account the same day if sent within Ukrainian business hours, otherwise will be available on the following business day with no back-end fees and low, locked-in exchange rates.

    “Industrialbank is one of the leading banks in the Ukraine. Its success on the foreign markets and focus on improving customer services for the Ukrainian market have led to providing the new account deposit product for Ukraine, which has no equivalent in the CIS. I am grateful for the MoneyGram and Industrialbank teams for implementing such a project,” said Mykhailo Bukreev, Chairman of the Board of Industrialbank.

    According to World Bank data, Ukraine received a record of more than $14 billion in 2018, up about 19 percent over what the country received in 2017.

  • The Polish state development bank opens representative offices abroad

    The Polish state development bank opens representative offices abroad

    • Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) has opened its third representative office abroad in London.
    • There are also plans for opening offices in Amsterdam, Singapore, Washington and several other places.

    After Brussels and Frankfurt am Main, Polish entrepreneurs will be assisted by BGK in expanding their business also in London, Money Buzz! learned from Polska Agencja Prasowa.

    The representative office in the capital of the United Kingdom will also be tasked with monitoring regulations concerning the British economy and building relations with financial markets.

    The Bank already has offices in Brussels and Frankfurt am Main. The Gherkin, a famous skyscraper in the financial district of London, houses the new representative office.

    In addition to monitoring regulations related to the British economy and building relations, BGK’s representative office in the UK supports the foreign expansion of Polish companies and promotes Poland and the Polish economy.

    PAP says that: ”BGK actively supports the foreign expansion of Polish companies. Creating a network of foreign representative offices by BGK significantly strengthens Poland’s footprint on external markets. Thanks to the financing provided by BGK, Polish companies are already present in 69 countries and 6 continents.”

    BGK opened its first representative office in Brussels in 2018. In 2019, another one was opened in Frankfurt am Main. After London, the Bank is planning to open similar offices in other European countries (Amsterdam), as well as in the United States (first of all in Washington) and Asia (Singapore).

  • Liberis raises £32 million to accelerate growth plans in US and Europe

    Liberis raises £32 million to accelerate growth plans in US and Europe

    • Liberis has closed a £32 million funding round in its largest equity capital fundraise to date;
    • This investment represents the company’s first institutional equity fundraise and was led by FTV Capital;
    • Liberis is backed by Blenheim Chalcot, the UK’s leading digital venture builder, who welcome FTV as co-investors in Liberis;
    • This investment brings Liberis’ total debt and equity funding to over £150 million.

    Since its inception, Liberis has provided over 15,000 small businesses with more than £450 million in funding of which the majority through its innovative Funding-as-a-Service platform with integrated partners.

    The last 18 months have seen rapid global growth for Liberis with expansion into five new countries including the UK, US, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovak and Finland. 

    This new investment will support the business as it further expands its footprint in the United States and in two new European countries, as well as attracting the best talent with a 30 percent increase in headcount planned for the next year.

    The investment will also enable the company to scale globally at pace through its unique partnerships model to support the millions of small businesses who have difficulty in accessing the funding they need to thrive.

    Liberis has new General Managers

    To strengthen its global operations, Liberis has recently appointed General Managers for both the US and Europe. Howard Kramen joins as General Manager for the US, having previously led PayPal’s global credit operations.

    Kramen played an instrumental role in lending over $10 billion to over 225,000 small businesses across the US, UK, Australia and Germany.

    Meanwhile Pedram Tadayon joins as Europe General Manager and brings 20 years financial services industry experience to Liberis, having previously been CEO of Emric – a fintech provider in credit management, along with senior positions held at Nets, EnterCard and American Express.

  • Zephyrus Aviation Capital closes $350M warehouse finance facility

    Zephyrus Aviation Capital closes $350M warehouse finance facility

    Zephyrus Aviation Capital closed on a $350 million warehouse finance facility with Deutsche Bank AG, New York Branch, acting as the sole structuring agent and lead arranger, with aircraft scheduled to be placed into the facility in the coming days and weeks.

    This is the first warehouse facility for Zephyrus and follows the successful launch of the company’s ZCAP 2018-1 ABS facility a little over a year ago. The closing also comes on the heels of a year in which the organization undertook significant growth and expansion.

    “After the success of our initial ABS, it was a pleasure to once again work with Deutsche Bank and our other partners on this warehouse facility, as this continuity allows us to more efficiently execute our business growth and development plans. This new facility, coupled with our highly skilled team and existing equity, will enable us to be even more responsive in providing solutions in the mid- to late-life aircraft market,” said Zephyrus President and CEO, Damon J. D’Agostino.

    Working closely with Deutsche Bank, the parties were able to craft a facility that is specially designed for mid- to older-life aircraft and the unique financing opportunities that they present.

    Who is Zephyrus Aviation Capital

    Launched in 2018, Zephyrus is led by a highly-skilled executive team and backed by Virgo Investment Group, a private investment firm based in the San Francisco Bay area.

    Zephyrus is an aircraft and engine leasing and trading company led by a team of industry veterans and focused on aircraft which are in the mid to mature stage of their lifecycle. 

    The company is a fleet management solutions provider with a customer-centric approach that creates value for all stakeholders. 

  • Ofertolino.ro has been acquired by Offerista Group

    Ofertolino.ro has been acquired by Offerista Group

    Offerista Group, the main provider of digital commercial marketing in the DACH region, is merging with Prospecto Group, the company behind Ofertolino.ro and leading provider of digital marketing solutions in Central and Eastern Europe.

    Offerista and Prospecto customers will largely benefit from a wider coverage of at least 39.5 million consumers in Europe each month as well as the opportunity to extend their campaigns in new markets. Oggy Popov will continue to manage Prospecto Group as CEO.

    Prospecto Group, with its head office in Sofia, Bulgaria, is a provider of Drive2Store solutions with over 100 retail customers in 16 Central and Eastern European countries and more than 30 employees at the Sofia, Budapest and Bucharest sites.

    “Following the takeover of the Austrian company wogibtswas.at GmbH in 2018, we are looking forward to the merger with Prospecto Group and the continued successful expansion into new markets in order to offer our customers even better solutions with greater coverage,” says Benjamin Thym, Managing Director of Offerista Group GmbH.

    “Over the past few years, Prospecto Group has achieved enormous growth in Central and Eastern Europe with more than 100 retailers and brands. In Offerista Group, we have found a partner with a strong vision who immediately recognises the benefits of merging our team and services into a larger group with a wider-reaching network and greater resources. This acquisition is also a wonderful recognition of the work that our team has done,” adds Oggy Popov, CEO and founder of Prospecto Group.

  • Hedin Group acquires two BMW dealerships in Zurich

    Hedin Group acquires two BMW dealerships in Zurich

    • Hedin Group, one of the largest privately-owned automotive retailers in Europe, expands to Switzerland though the acquisition of SeeAll Group.
    • Hedin confirms it has entered in exclusive negotiation with BMW Switzerland to further acquire the BMW-owned branch Zürich-Dielsdorf (Niederlassung).

    SeeAll Group’s two dealerships, Allmend Garage and Seeblick Garage, are Hedin’s first in Switzerland, adding to the existing relationship with BMW in Norway and Sweden. 

    The Swiss dealerships had a turnover of around 100 million Swiss franc in 2019. The acquisition expands Hedin’s total representation to 123 dealerships across four countries.

    Upon closing, SeeAll will become part of a wholly owned, newly established Swiss subsidiary of Anders Hedin Invest AB, folded into the Scandinavian BMW division, Hedin Automotive in Norway. Through the I.A. Hedin Bil AB subsidiary, Bavaria, Hedin Group is the largest dealer of BMW and MINI in Scandinavia.

    “We are pleased to expand our dealership footprint to Switzerland and to increase our long-standing, strong partnership with BMW,” said Stig Saeveland, chief executive officer of Hedin Automotive Norway.

    “The expansion to Switzerland is an important milestone in our company history. SeeAll reinforces our position in Europe, leveraging on our existing alliance with BMW to accelerate our international development in a fast-changing industry.” said Anders Hedin, Owner & CEO of Hedin Group.

  • BCAP invests in Turkish rideshare company Scotty

    BCAP invests in Turkish rideshare company Scotty

    BCAP Partners, a global investment management and advisory firm, completed an investment into Turkish ridesharing company Scotty Technologies Inc. on January 10, 2020.

    “This transaction is the first investment under our newly developed Launchpad initiative. There is great potential in Turkey, and Scotty is primed to become a market leader with its game-changing business model and innovative technology. BCAP will continue to expand its venture capital business as we see an abundance of opportunities to add value in the European start-up space,” states Robin Yan, a Partner at BCAP.

    “This partnership is a very important step for our app on its way to becoming the super-app of Turkey. BCAP’s sector expertise in logistics and transportation will help us with our plans. We believe BCAP’s investment will help us reach our goals faster and accelerate our growth in a profitable way,” states Tarkan Anlar, CEO of Scotty.  

    What is Scotty

    Scotty Technologies Inc. is a 3-year-old start-up based in Istanbul, Turkey and currently offers ridesharing and courier services.

    The company plans to be the first super-app of Turkey with its disruptive technologies and business model. The company plans to continue its promising growth and reach profitability in the near future.

  • Oviva has raised $21m in Series B funding

    Oviva has raised $21m in Series B funding

    • Oviva, the leading digital provider of Type 2 diabetes treatment in Europe, has raised $21m in Series B funding.
    • MTIP led the round, joined by Earlybird as new investors.
    • Existing investors AlbionVC, F-Prime Capital, Eight Roads Ventures and Partech all participated.

    The new capital will be used to further develop Oviva’s technology and expand in Europe to serve the millions of patients not accessing treatment today. It brings the total amount raised by Oviva to date to $34m.

    Oviva offers an evidence-based digital solution to stop the progression of and reverse Type 2 diabetes and obesity-related conditions. Patients receive tailored nutrition advice and personalised coaching via their phone.

    Oviva’s technology-supported treatment has consistently demonstrated higher patient uptake, retention and outcomes at lower costs compared to face-to-face therapy. They treated 90,000 patients to-date across the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland and the UAE, consistently doubling each year for the last 3 years.

  • Algeco announces the acquisition of the French business, Altempo SAS

    Algeco announces the acquisition of the French business, Altempo SAS

    Algeco Group, the leading modular space leasing business in Europe and Asia Pacific, announces the acquisition of the French business, Altempo SAS.

    Altempo specialises in large, complex tenders which require bespoke solutions and innovative service offerings, and its acquisition will enable Algeco to participate more effectively in this attractive segment of the French modular space market.

    Altempo operates a fleet of c. 3,000 units, has 61 employees and revenues of c. €25 million.  

    Mike Smith, Chairman of Algeco, said: “Altempo will be an excellent addition to our market-leading business in France. Under the leadership of Thierry Munier, Altempo has developed a compelling and well-differentiated offering that is underpinned by constant innovation across its products, components and services. I am delighted that Thierry will remain with Algeco and continue to lead this business.”

    Who is Altempo

    Altempo operates solely in France and designs, builds and manages temporary installations. Altempo is focused on providing fully integrated service offerings to large customers and the majority of its clients are based in Paris and in Lyon. Altempo has one site near Colmar with 61 employees.

    Algeco leads Europe modular space business

    Headquartered in London, Algeco has operations in 22 countries with approximately 250,000 modular space and portable storage units and 3,400 remote accommodation rooms.

    The company operates as Algeco in Europe, Elliott in the United Kingdom, Ausco in Australia, Portacom in New Zealand and Algeco Chengdong in China.

  • Annonces du Bateau marketplace acquired by Boats Group USA

    Annonces du Bateau marketplace acquired by Boats Group USA

    Boats Group, the tech business behind the largest online marketplaces for boats and yachts in the world announced they have purchased Annonces du Bateau and all its assets.

    Annonces du Bateau is a leading boat sales marketplace in France and provides Boats Group with greater access to one of the largest boating marketplaces in the world.

    “France is an enormously important market in the global leisure marine industry, and the acquisition of Annonces du Bateau – a business with a long tradition of delivering digital excellence in France – will accelerate our growth in Europe,” said Sam Fulton, CEO, Boats Group.

    Boats Group will begin a substantial technical and marketing investment in Annonces du Bateau, starting with a new, feature-rich platform that will debut later this year.

    For the boating industry professionals who currently market their business offerings on Annonces du Bateau, this acquisition provides new access to the international marketplace.

    The Boats Group-owned-and-operated YachtWorld, Cosas De Barcos and iNautia portals drive boat sales throughout Europe, and Annonces du Bateau customers in France now have the option to add their inventory to any of the Boats Group marketplaces that best suit their needs.

    Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

  • AerCap signs lease agreement with AirSial for 3 Airbus A320 aircraft

    AerCap signs lease agreement with AirSial for 3 Airbus A320 aircraft

    AerCap Holdings announced it has signed an agreement with AirSial Limited, a privately-owned Pakistani startup airline, for the lease of three used Airbus A320 aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled to deliver in the second quarter of 2020 and will be the first aircraft to be delivered to the airline.

    Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap, said, “For more than a decade, AerCap has been the biggest aircraft lessor in the fast growing Pakistani aviation sector and we are very pleased to support a new startup airline, AirSial. With the rapid growth in air traffic in Pakistan as well as air liberalization, AirSial is well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. We wish AirSial every success with their new venture and we look forward to working with the AirSial team as these aircraft deliver. ‘Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success’.”

    Fazal Jilani, Chairman of AirSial Limited, said, “I would like to congratulate and thank AerCap on this auspicious occasion for not only recognizing the potential of the Pakistan aviation market but also showing their firm belief in the Sialkot business community. We at AirSial, along with AerCap, will take our new partnership to the highest of standards and together make AirSial ‘The Pride of Pakistan’.”

    AerCap, global leader in aircraft leasing

    AerCap is the global leader in aircraft leasing with 1,360 aircraft owned, managed or on order and $43.5 billion of total assets as of September 30, 2019. 

    The company serves approximately 200 customers in approximately 80 countries with comprehensive fleet solutions and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (AER) and has its headquarters in Dublin.

  • China Mobile International opens UK data centre

    China Mobile International opens UK data centre

    China Mobile International Limited (CMI) officially opened its data centre in the UK in early December. As a purpose-built data centre, the new building is CMI’s first data centre in Europe.

    Serving as both an International Network Exchange hub and an Internet Data Centre (IDC), the UK data centre supports the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative by providing connectivity and enabling closer ties between Asia and Europe.

    The UK Data Centre seamlessly connects with CMI’s newly opened Singapore data centre, its Global Network Centre (GNC) in Hong Kong, China, and its extensive global mobile communications and cloud network infrastructure. CMI is currently also building a dedicated data centre in Frankfurt, Germany as well as other locations.

    “The opening of our new data centre in UK is the sign of CMI’s commitment to promoting secure and reliable high-speed connections around the world, and we continue to see strong customer demand for connectivity, cloud and content delivery solutions between Asia Pacific and Europe, but also among with Middle East and Africa regions,” said Dr Li Feng, Chairman & CEO of China Mobile International Ltd.

    Located in Slough Trading Estate, the CMI UK Data Centre houses more than 1,600 racks. It has obtained the Uptime Institute Tier III TCDD data centre standards and offers 99.99% service and power availability.