VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Private equity group Apax Partners is considering selling its stake in London-based foreign exchange firm Travelex in the form of a probable initial public offering (IPO), according to two sources.

LQ Inversiones Financieras, Banco de Chile's majority shareholder, will sell up to 6.9 billion shares equivalent to $963 million. The exit deal would reduce LQ's stake in the Chilean lender from 58.4% to 51%.

UK-based private equity group CVC Capital Partners has exited a 19.4% stake in Denmark-based firm Matas for DKK1.18 billion ($216 million), according to the Danish beauty retailer on Friday.

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%.

Private equity firm Hellman & Friedman is reportedly considering to sell Catalina Marketing Corp. in a deal that could fetch $2 billion to $2.5 billion. Catalina provides customer-driven marketing services to over 25,000 grocery, drug and department stores in the US.

Healogics Inc.,owned by private equity firm Metalmark Capital, is reportedly considering a sale that could value the wound care services provider at $1 billion. Goldman Sachs Group has been tapped to find a buyer.

Pharma giants Novartis International AG and Merck & Co. Inc. are reportedly negotiating an asset trade of about $5 billion each. Novartis wants to exchange its animal health and human vaccines businesses for Merck's over-the-counter health products unit.

India-based Lanco Infratech Ltd is considering a sale of its Australian unit, Griffin Coal Mining Co, so it could help pay debt, according to sources interviewed by Bloomberg.

Private equity firm Apollo Global Management is looking to exit its investment in Australia-based fund-of-hedge-fund manager HFA Holdings. HFA is the owner of investment manager Lighthouse Investment Partners.

Raiffeisen Bank International reportedly aborted plans to sell its loss-making Hungarian business, saying that selling the asset at a knock-down price would trigger losses it was not prepared to accept.

Norway-based newsprint and magazine paper manufacturer Norske Skog inked an agreement to exit its remaining stake in its Brazilian operations to Papeles Bio Bio SA for $37 million.

Citizens Financial Group, a unit of the Royal Bank of Scotland, said it had agreed to exit its Chicago area retail branches and small business operations to US Bancorp.

CEC Entertainment, which operates 567 Chuck E. Cheese's stores in 47 states in the US, is reportedly mulling over a possible sale to private equity firm. CEC has a market capitalization of around $760 million.

GS Infrastructure Partners, controlled by investment bank Goldman Sachs Group, has sold its 49% stake in FRS Capital Corp., the ultimate parent company of SSA Marine. SSA Marine is one of the world's largest privately held port operators.

Skillsoft Ltd., which provides electronic learning solutions to over 6,000 customers worldwide, is reportedly seeking a sale that would value it at $2 billion, including debt. Skillsoft is owned by private equity firms Berkshire Partners, Advent International Corp. and Bain Capital.