eFront, the leading financial software and solutions provider dedicated to Alternative Investments, has published its latest Quarterly Private Equity Performance report, showing that venture capital funds globally delivered exceptional performance in 2020, despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the second and third quarters marking the highest returns on record.

Investors have taken some blows during the pandemic and financial turmoil of 2020, a new UK report reveals.

Innovate Finance, the industry body representing UK FinTech, has released investment figures for the global FinTech sector in 2020 that reinforce the UK’s position as a global and European leader.

The pandemic has inspired a new wave of social entrepreneurs who are developing business ideas to support their Covid-stricken communities, experts say.

433 Equity Crowdfunding campaigns successfully raised £332 million in 2020 up from 403 campaigns in 2019. This is the highest number of campaigns ever and the second largest amount of capital raised in any one year.

The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has published its list of the 20 most viewed investment companies on its website in 2020.

JP Morgan analysis shows that 2020 saw the largest ever outperformance of the FTSE All Share by Investment Companies 

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Edinburgh-based business angel investment syndicate, Archangels, led investments of £16.3m in promising Scottish start-up and early stage companies in 2020, topping its 2019 total of £13.4m by 22%.

BVA BDRC has released additional SME Finance Monitor data, covering the period to the end of September 2020. 

The third annual edition of the KPMG Private Debt Fund Survey in collaboration with the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) showcases the strong growth momentum of private debt funds domiciled in Luxembourg. It reveals that the sector saw AuM of private debt funds soar by 36.2% compared to last year, bringing total assets under management to a record EUR 108.4 billion. This builds on the 14.5% growth in AuM for private debt funds seen in the 2019 survey.

New research (1) from behavioural finance experts Oxford Risk, reveals that during the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis when stock markets fell sharply, 8% of people with savings and investments either sold some of their investments or took their money out of the stocks markets. 

British Business Investments, a commercial subsidiary of British Business Bank, has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2019/20.