VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Jerzy Malek, the founder of salmon processor Morpol, picked up a 12.9% stake in Alesund, Norway-based biomarine firm Hofseth Biocare in a private placement valued at NOK45 million.

New Delhi, India-based microfinance institution Satin Creditcare Network Limited (SCNL) bagged $4.7 million (INR28.44 crore) in a funding round led by Norway-based impact investor NMI Fund III KS (NMI) to fuel its growth and diversification.

Norway announced that it is letting its sovereign wealth fund World Wildlife Fund (WWF) lead a major investment in the renewable energy sector of the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Norfolk, UK-based energy firm 3Sun Group bagged a $16.7 million (£10 million) investment from the Business Growth Fund (BGF) to fuel its European expansion and workforce addition.

Aboitiz Group, a conglomerate based in the Philippines, has exited completely from the shipping business by selling the interests it held in joint ventures with Norway-based Jebsen Group.

British helicopter airline Bristow Helicopters picked up a 60% stake in UK-based airline Eastern Airways International Ltd, with the two firms to continue operating as entities independent from each other, as part of the strategic investment deal.

Norway's state-controlled Statoil is reportedly studying overseas acquisitions that could dilute the state's shareholding in the petroleum company. The Norwegian government is seeking to cut its stake in Statoil from 67% to 51%.

Norway-based private equity group HitecVision has announced a growth capital investment in well intervention services provider DeepWell AS in a deal that marks HitecVision's entry into the well intervention industry.

Norway-based oil company Statoil ASA (STO) said on Tuesday it has decided to invest in the Shah Deniz gas field development in Azerbaijan, together with its consortium partners.

SecondMarket founder and chief executive Barry Silbert claimed in an article on Entrepreneur that Wall Street will soon invest their money in hundreds of millions into Bitcoin.

The European Union through its European Banking Authority expressed warning similar to China, Germany and Norway regarding the risks associated in using Bitcoins as payment.

Bitcoins suffered a blow in Norway as the government declared that it was not real money. It will be treated as an asset and be subject to a capital gains tax, Bloomberg reported.

A December 4 interview conducted by Bloomberg with Industry Ministry Monica Maeland revealed Norway's plans to divest some of its holdings in several companies including Statoil ASA.

As the new administration under Prime Minister Erna Solberg reviews the current investment mandate of its USD800 billion wealth fund, top officials like Norway central bank Governor Oeystein Olsen were pushing for a diversification of investments.

According to a research study by Dow Jones & Company, Ireland attracted the most venture capital funding per capita in the European region. The data showed that most Irish tech startups have fared well even during the economic recession.