Walkers has reported that during the first quarter of 2005 the firm participated in more than $5 billion of private equity deals.
Key deals for the private equity group during the first three months of the year included the spin-off of Ripplewood’s private portfolio and of RHJ International on the Brussels-based Euronext Exchange.
As part of its private equity engagements, Walkers advises on the most appropriate offshore structure for the deals, counsels clients on how to best accomplish their specific financial goals, and helps to create the appropriate corporate structures and oversight regimes in the Cayman Islands.
“The first quarter of 2005 saw strong growth in the formation of larger private equity funds around the world,” Grant Stein, senior partner for Walkers said. “With global investors continuing to seek double digit returns, it’s only natural that activity on the private equity front will expand even further in the year ahead. Indeed, as markets become increasingly global, more organizations are turning to well regulated and tax neutral jurisdictions such as the Cayman Islands to conduct their business.”
“We expect continued activity in the offshore market, both in raising new capital and with respect to portfolio acquisitions,” said Iain McMurdo, Walkers Investment Funds Partner.