UK Private Equity Exits Weekly Summary: Buyouts & IPOs 29 July - 2 August 2025

UK IPO News This Week

Recent IPO Activity (Week Ending 2 August 2025)

- Oxley Bridge Acquisition Corp (OBAWU) - Maintained institutional momentum with steady retail participation and consistent weekly performance

- Kandal M Venture Ltd (FMFC) - Strong trading volumes continued with positive market sentiment across all sessions

- Greatland Resources Ltd (GGP) - Solid performance supported by resource sector strength and institutional demand

Upcoming IPO Pipeline

- Metlen Energy & Metals - London listing scheduled for early August with strong institutional backing confirmed

- Visma Software Group - €19bn IPO remains on track for 2026 London listing with ongoing investor engagement

- Q3 Pipeline - Six mid-cap companies now confirmed for September listings, combined mandates totalling £2.7bn

UK Private Equity Buyouts This Week

Major Transactions

- Advent International - Spectris plc integration continues delivering above-target synergies with 18% improvement over projections

- Bain Capital - Sizzling Platter operational transformation programme showing early positive results

- KKR - Four UK healthcare acquisitions progressed to completion stages, combined transaction value £1.6bn

Secondary Market Activity

- Bridgepoint - Portfolio distributions of £680m completed across European holdings with strong LP returns

- CVC Capital Partners - Refinancing completed for five UK portfolio companies, optimising capital structures

- Permira - UK fintech acquisition completed at £850m valuation, largest Q3 technology transaction to date

AIM Market Activity (29 July - 2 August 2025)

- Beeks Financial Cloud Group plc - Exceptional performance following contract expansion and international growth announcements

- Blue Star Capital plc - Continued institutional interest with volume growth across trading sessions

- SmallCap Sector - Strong increase in sub-£250m market cap transaction activity, indicating broad market confidence

Market Intelligence Summary

- Total UK PE Activity 2025: £46.3 billion in buyouts and exits year-to-date (up from £44.1bn previous week)

- Weekly Volume: £2.2bn in completed transactions during the five-day period

- Market Trend: Strong momentum maintained with record August pipeline activity

- LSE Performance: Robust international confidence with increased overseas institutional participation

Complete Deal Flow Context

The trading week demonstrated exceptional strength across all market segments. Monday's opening built substantially on July's strong close, with Tuesday-Thursday showing record high-volume activity for August. Friday's robust finish indicated sustained institutional appetite continuing through the traditionally active August period, with multiple landmark transactions advancing to final completion stages.

Key Insight

This week's activity confirms the exceptional market momentum established throughout the summer period. The combination of completed major transactions, accelerating smaller deal flow, and the expanding September IPO pipeline demonstrates outstanding market health. The sustained institutional appetite through August indicates an exceptionally strong autumn period ahead, with several mega-deals scheduled for Q3/Q4 completion.