Arma Partners, Europe’s leading advisor to the Digital Economy, closes yet another very strong financial year
Arma Partners has closed yet another very strong financial year (to March 31st), having advised on 25 transactions, including three of Europe’s five largest software buyouts. In October 2023, Arma entered into a strategic agreement with Mediobanca, an important milestone in the development of our business and recognition of our leadership position in Europe’s Digital Economy. This partnership will enhance our global reach and accelerate our pursuit of new strategic goals, while maintaining our operational independence and sector focus. Our client-centric advisory model will remain unchanged, and we are well-positioned to continue delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients.
Top-quartile businesses remain highly attractive to investors globally, who are particularly drawn to the resilience of the Digital Economy, seeking businesses differentiated by robust downside protection and sticky customer bases. Notable deals Arma has advised on in the last 12 months include: the recapitalisation of Visma valued at $21bn, making it the largest privately-owned software business in Europe; the $4bn recapitalisation of IRIS Software by Leonard Green & Partners; the $1bn sale of Warburg Pincus-backed Once For All to GTCR; the $1.1bn sale of AKKR-backed Kerridge Commercial Systems to CapVest; the sale of Partners Group portfolio company Civica to Blackstone, valued at more than $2bn; the sale of Macrobond, backed by Nordic Capital, to Francisco Partners; the acquisition of Chambers & Partners by Abry Partners; and the sale of Sapphire Systems to NTT DATA.
Arma has also helped raise further funding for several high-growth clients, including: Planity, led by InfraVia; Lanes & Planes, led by Battery Ventures and Smash Capital; and Tally Group, led by IFM.
Paul-Noël Guély, Founder and Managing Partner of Arma Partners, said: “Despite the headwinds faced in 2023, Arma has continued to consistently outperform its competitors, differentiated by deep sector knowledge across the Digital Economy, high-quality, tenured senior bankers, and our proven ability to orchestrate deals in challenging conditions. As we look to the remainder of 2024, the continuing drumbeat of digital transformation, rebounding equity markets, and the softening of interest rates bode well for the ongoing recovery in M&A and fundraising activities, and we are confident of yet another strong year ahead, as illustrated by the three deals (Stonebranch, Focus Group, Zellis) we have announced in the first three weeks of our new financial year starting April 1st.”
The team at Arma is grateful to our clients for their ongoing trust in our advice, to our employees for their dedication and hard work, and to our strategic partner Mediobanca for their support. We look forward to working together over the coming year to achieve further exceptional outcomes for clients, both existing and new, and keep expanding our business.