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The Wire

Private equity deal news and insights from the London newsroom

May 19, 2025

 

Private equity ‘loves’ VMS sector; Tariffs a near-term threat to wealth management, says Lincoln International

Good morning, Nina Lindholm here with the Europe Wire from the London newsroom.

 

As consumers’ health consciousness shifts from curative to preventative, their interest in vitamins, minerals and supplements increases. Private equity has noted the boom, and this morning, we take a deep dive into the sector as PE Hub’s Sophie Rose speaks to industry experts from Cinven, Houlihan Lokey, Verlinvest and Riverside.

 

We’ll then delve into financial services, as we hear from Lincoln International’s Antoine Dupont-Madinier, who tells us how the sector is faring amid tariff uncertainty.

 

We then have a fresh deal in the same sector, as Apax Partners has agreed to buy the treasury and capital markets business unit of Finastra.

 

To finish, we take a look at a tech deal. General Atlantic has agreed to buy a minority stake an Internet of Things services provider backed by Montagu.

 

Consuming health

An increase in consumers’ health consciousness is boosting demand for vitamins, minerals and supplements. The trend has caught the attention of private equity, and PE Hub has noted a slew of deals in the segment.

 

To learn more, PE Hub’s Sophie Rose caught up with Pontus Pettersson, partner at Cinven; Garyth Stone, managing director in Houlihan Lokey’s consumer group; Ben Black, executive director at Verlinvest; and Rafael Álvarez-Nóvoa, partner at Riverside Europe.

 

I recommend reading Sophie’s full feature, as it covers how private equity might overcome issues created by a saturated market, as well as an outlook for the VMS segment.

 

Premium Wire subscribers can also learn how changing consumer habits drive deals in the sector.

 

Relative winners

From personal health to financial health. Tariffs pose a near-term threat to assets under management in wealth and asset management, Antoine Dupont-Madinier, a London-based managing director in Lincoln International’s financial institutions group, told PE Hub.

 

To learn more about Dupont-Madinier's outlook for the segment and what he considers potential winners in a time of economic uncertainty, take a look at the full Wire coverage.

 

Wire readers will know this is a topic I touched on last week. We heard from Chris Neale, partner at Phoenix Equity Partners, who told us about a portfolio company that is enjoying increased demand for its services amid volatility.

 

I’m keen to hear our readers’ thoughts on the topic. Drop me a line at [email protected].

 

To learn how private equity is structuring deals in the current environment, check out Craig McGlashan’s piece focused on earnouts.

 

Carving out

We have a fresh example of private equity interest in financial services. Apax Partners has agreed to buy the Treasury and Capital Markets (TCM) business unit of Finastra.

 

For more on the deal, check out the premium Wire.

 

Wireless deal

Finishing with a bit of tech. General Atlantic has agreed to buy a minority stake in Montagu portfolio company Wireless Logic, an independent global Internet of Things (IoT) services provider. 

 

For more, including the valuation, check out the full Wire coverage.

 

That’s all from me. MK Flynn will be with you later today with the US edition, while Craig McGlashan is in the Europe chair tomorrow.

 

Cheers,

Nina

 

Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...

Today's must reads

> The consumerization of health: VMS attracts PE to a saturated market More...
> PE taps into healthcare education: 5 deals More...
> PE bets on healthcare's adoption of AI: Six deals More...
> European PE buyers lean into earnouts amid tariff impact uncertainty More...
> EisnerAmper, Wipfli hope to attract new PE investments, sources say More...

Also of note (may require subscriptions)

 

Canada’s HOOPP: Europe ‘more interesting’ amid tariff tensions. The $88bn pension system is 'exercising a degree of caution' in the US, according to head of global PE Lori Hall-Kimm. (Private Equity International) 

 

UC Regents views underweighted exposure to private assets as ‘fortunate position.’ With peers facing substantial portfolio challenges, $30bn endowment is urging restraint in what its leaders say is an environment for endowments akin to 2008’s financial crisis. (Buyouts)

 

Adaptogen Capital: ‘Batteries will infrastructurise.’ Batteries are proving indispensable to the evolving grid but Adaptogen MD James Mills admits 'banks are finding merchant difficult.’ (PE Hub)

 

US climate investors: Shaken but not stopped. Two fundamental market facts should give managers of climate-related strategies in the US reason for optimism. (New Private Markets)

 

Dave Chen backs former students’ plans for black soldier fly protein in India: Equilibrium chief executive Dave Chen says GreenGrahi has a narrow focus on providing nutrients as a component rather than aiming to replace entire animal feed industries. (Agri Investor)

Deals

> Apax Partners to buy Finastra’s treasury and capital markets unit More...
> Lotus Infrastructure Partners to sell seven natural gas plants to Vistra Corp for $1.9bn More...
> Armen takes minority stake in Vendis Capital More...
> General Atlantic to buy minority stake in Montagu-backed Wireless Logic More...
> PE bets on healthcare's adoption of AI: Six deals More...
> Sterling Group acquires Pavement Preservation Group Inc and Vance Brothers More...
People
> YFM Equity Partners names Jamie Roberts as new managing partner More...
> Charles Spetka rejoins Fortress as Middle East head More...
> Palladium Equity-backed Sky Zone appoints David Hoffmann as CEO More...

They said it

“People are living longer, and those same people are generally wealthier and more willing to spend. So, you’ve got those two driving forces at either end of the age spectrum, which means this is not going to be a fad.”

— Ben Black, executive director, Verlinvest, on the VMS sector

 

Today's letter was prepared by Nina Lindholm

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