China-CEE Investment Cooperation Fund, a private equity fund that has USD 500 million for investments in Central and Eastern Europe, will officially launch its operations in Romania next week.

The fund's representatives will then announce their plans for the Romanian market.

The fund is supported by the Chinese state, and its main goal is to contribute to the economic growth of the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It invests in companies operating in the energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, and specialized manufacturing sectors. The typical investment is USD 20 million to USD 70 million.

The fund’s cornerstone investor is Export Import Bank of China, which has committed USD 470 million, together with Eximbank Hungary, which has invested USD 30 million. By year-end, a second fund for the region will be launched, with USD 1 billion in assets, under the same management.

CEE Equity Partners, headquartered in Warsaw, is the advisor to these two funds. The firm has satellite offices in Budapest, Bucharest and Leeds, with local investment specialists.

Romanian Octavian Vidu coordinates the Bucharest team as investment manager for Romania. Vidu has 18 years of experience in finance and investments in the CEE region. He worked as business development manager for private equity companies Copernicus Capital and Abris Romania. He also worked for seven years for a number of banks and consultancy firms in Central American, in Belize and Panama.

editor@romania-insider.com