VENTURE CAPITAL POST

The Indian Angel Network, the country's oldest and largest angel investor network, is hunting for investment opportunities in the UK and Singapore. IAN expects to announce its first UK deal during the first half of 2014, while it will begin its Singapore operations in the latter half of next year.

WePopp, a social planning app based in Paris, France, announced that it has secured EUR 130,000 from a small group of France-based angel investors. The newly injected funds will then be used to lure in more users to its system.

France's PSA Peugeot Citroen is looking into various ways of expanding its partnership with Chinese state-run car manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Corporation.

France's Credit Agricole said it will cut its holding in investment firm Eurazeo. The French bank will sell 3.2 million Eurazeo shares and zero-coupon convertibles equivalent to a maximun of 5.1 million shares.

European private equity group 21 Partners agreed to purchase French pharmaceutical manufacturing company Synerlab from premium independent private investment firm Ardian for an undisclosed amount.

France-based black car service provider LeCab raised USD6.8 million (EUR5 million) in a Series B funding round from undisclosed investors, to be used for the expansion of the company's service and manpower.

French elderly care company Korian bought rival Medica for EUR1.1 billion. The post-merger group would become the top nursing home operator in France, Germany and Belgium and second in Italy.

Brussels-based biotechnology company IBA concluded the sale of its drug discovery business unit to private equity firm Argos Soditic. IBA raised EUR25 million from the sale of Cisbio Bioassays.

British government-owned The Royal Bank of Scotland said it was looking to sell its retail investor and equity derivatives business. French bank BNP Paribas was identified as a front-runner to acquire the business unit.

Britain-based advertising group WPP denied a report from The Daily Mail's that the company is planning a takeover bid for US-based marketing group Interpublic (IPG).

The French government hoped to help fund new state investments and boost national economy by divesting 3.5% of its stake in jet engine maker Safran.

US-based global private equity firm Advent International signed an agreement to purchase a USD1.1 billion minority stake in Ocensa, Colombia's biggest oil pipeline in terms of capacity.

The government of France had taken plans to pay debts incurred from the collapse of Credit Lyonnais, said a Reuters report.

Standard & Poor's downgraded France's credit rating from AA+ to AA, citing President Francois Hollande's ineffective growth policies.

By raising USD875 million on its market debut, Numericable recorded th biggest IPO in the French market for the past four years.