Dutch private equity market 2006

In 2006, investment by Dutch private equity companies fell by 6 per cent to more than €2.4bn, from €2.6bn the previous year, says the NVP. The drop was a direct consequence of the fact that the number of large buy-outs was very high in 2005 and fell in 2006. On the other hand, there was a considerable increase in both expansion financing and investments in seed and start-up capital. The positive exit climate caused a further increase in divestments to more than €1.7bn in 2006, from €1.5bn in 2005.