
Purbeck Insurance Services has launched Purbeck Reinsurance Limited in Guernsey. The move strengthens the company’s long-term commitment to UK SME directors and deepens its direct participation in personal guarantee insurance risk through a new quota share arrangement with its fronting insurer.

UK Private Capital rebrand reflects evolving investment landscape. The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association is rebranding to UK Private Capital, pending member approval, to align with industry growth and emphasise its economic contribution. The change aims to provide clearer advocacy and strategic direction.

YFM Equity Partners has completed its exit from SharpCloud. The UK investor backed the data visualisation company in 2019, supporting its growth into a leading enterprise SaaS platform. SharpCloud has since been acquired by global decision software group Lumivero, marking a strong outcome for investors and stakeholders.

Nico Rosberg’s venture firm raises $100m, expanding investment portfolio. The former Formula 1 champion’s firm, Rosberg Ventures, closed its third funding round with over $200m in assets under management, investing in technology and sustainable initiatives.

Diginex completes acquisition of The Remedy Project Limited. The acquisition aligns with growing demands for human rights due diligence driven by stringent regulations. It enhances Diginex’s capabilities in human rights risk identification and remediation within global supply chains.

Nearly half of UK business owners report increased risk appetite. New research from ECI Partners suggests optimism is returning across sectors, with technology and HR leading the way. While cost pressures persist, the findings point to strong interest in private equity and international expansion.

Ofcom contacts xAI over Grok’s image-generation capabilities. The UK regulator is investigating claims that the AI tool can create sexualised images of children and non-consensual explicit images of women, potentially breaching the UK’s Online Safety Act.

Senior lawyer hiring surged in City law firms in 2025. Employment rose above 5% as London firms hired 668 partners, a 21% increase. US firms led the trend, focusing on private capital teams, with high demand expected to continue.

December’s US M&A docket favoured scale, infrastructure, and control decisively. Netflix’s $82.7bn Warner Bros. deal set the tone, while IBM paid up for Confluent’s data-streaming backbone. ServiceNow’s $7.75bn Armis move underscored platform-driven security consolidation. Private equity returned via Clearwater Analytics, and Alphabet’s Intersect purchase highlighted power as an AI constraint.

European M&A ended 2025 with disciplined, strategically focused December deals. Orange’s €4.25bn move for full control of MasOrange set the tone. Sanofi and Sweden’s Sobi paid for pipeline clarity, Harman bought German ADAS capability, and Prada’s Versace acquisition underlined that European luxury consolidation remains firmly alive.