PE Deals

Permira to acquire majority stake in Acuity Knowledge from Equistone

Equistone will reinvest as a minority shareholder in Acuity.

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  • The deal is likely to close in the second quarter of 2023
  • Acuity will invest further in its teams, services, and technology post the sale
  • London-headquartered Permira manages total assets of over €60bn

Permira will acquire a majority stake in Acuity Knowledge Partners from Equistone Partners Europe. Equistone will reinvest in Acuity as a minority shareholder.

Acuity is a provider of research, analytics, and business intelligence to the financial services sector. The firm is headquartered in London and has a global client base of more than 500 financial service firms. It has offices in the UK, USA, India, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, China and Dubai.

The deal, subject to regulatory approvals, is likely to close in the second quarter of 2023.

Under Permira’s ownership along with Equistone’s continued support, Acuity will invest further in its teams, services, and technology, according to a release.

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

“We see great potential for Acuity to further extend its leadership in existing segments as well as branch into new adjacencies and geographies – growth areas we are very experienced in facilitating via our deep sector knowledge, across both services and technology, and global network,” said Daniel Tan, head of Asia, and Chris Pell, principal at Permira, in the statement.

In 2019, Equistone supported the management buyout of the firm from Moody’s Corporation. The firm acquired Cians Analytics and expanded its client base and service offering in 2022.

Equistone, headquartered in London, is an independent investment firm that invests between €25 million and €200 million in mid-market companies. The firm has completed over 400 transactions and operates across France, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK.

London-headquartered Permira has total assets under management of over €60 billion and makes long-term majority and minority investments across two core asset classes, private equity, and credit.

Equistone was advised by Rothschild & Co and DC Advisory, and Latham & Watkins acted as legal counsel in the transaction. Robert W Baird served as financial advisers to Permira.