VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Frankfurt, Germany-based private equity firm Nordic Capital said on Friday it has raised €3.5 billion ($4.8 billion) for its eight buyout fund amid decreased volatility in Europe.

Washington-based international law and lobby powerhouse Patton Boggs LLP has ended merger discussions with Texas-based law company Locke Lord LLP, according to a joint statement on December 19.

New York-based innovative learning company EdTech has landed $51 million in a funding round led by London venture firm Atomico to take personalized learning on a global scale.

A 2013 Billionaire census report by Wealth-X and UBS showed an increase in the number of millionaires in the Middle East, and that amount of wealth hold by Middle Eastern billionaires topped any other region in the world.

UK-based independent private equity firm Vitruvian Partners closed USD1.6 billion (EUR1.2 billion) in a fundraising round for its second fund, the Vitruvian Investment Partnership II (VIP II).

Dealogic data showed a big increase in the acquisition activity of big tech companies in Israel, pushing the Middle Eastern country to become a global player in the innovative tech arena.

Retail giant Lulu Hypermarkets, under the leadership Yussuffali MA is expanding to Asia, North Africa and Middle East.

The fifth global business unit for Ford serving the Middle East and African regions would be headquartered at Dubai, in the UAE.

UAE's Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (ETISALAT) would be the new owner of a portion of Vivendi SA's stake in Maroc Telecom SA.

Countries such as Libya, Syria and Afghanistan as well as African countries such as Mozambique have become prime targets for Indian investments.

The new joint venture to participate in projects in the Middle East and Africa comprised of Arabtec and Samsung Engineering Co.

New appointments to HSBC Holdings management staff were recently announced to respond to the recovery in the region's financial markets.

AT&T, with its hub in Dubai, has offered IP virtual private network services to multinationals doing business in the Gulf region and in Africa.

The second largest oil producer in Qatar, Occidental Petroleum Corp, is offering a minority share in its Middle Eastern operations.

The UAE railway network's first phase has been completed.