As firms like BlackRock and CVC Capital intensify their focus on infrastructure investments in data centres and renewable energy, the European insurance market, with companies owned by Apollo and KKR, undergoes regulatory examination. Meanwhile, Disney shareholder Nelson Peltz’s critique of ‘woke’ filmmaking sparks debate.
The investment industry’s attraction to infrastructure has intensified, drawing significant attention from heavyweight firms such as BlackRock, CVC Capital, and General Atlantic. One notable success in this arena is Stonepeak, established by Michael Dorrell and Trent Vichie, now overseeing assets worth over $60bn. The rush to invest in sectors like data centres and renewable energy has become fiercely competitive, though early market entrants are seeing considerable returns on their investments.
Concurrently, the insurance market in Europe faces scrutiny, with entities owned by private equity firms such as Apollo and KKR under the regulatory lens. The collapse of Eurovita and issues with Viridium highlight concerns over the governance of private capital-owned insurers, prompting calls for stricter oversight due to potential conflicts of interest and the propensity for higher risk-taking.
In another development, Nelson Peltz, a billionaire investor and Disney shareholder with a $3.5bn stake, has ignited debates over his criticisms of Disney’s “woke” filmmaking, particularly targeting Marvel films like “Black Panther” and “The Marvels” for their focus on black and female leads. Peltz, who is vying for two board seats at Disney, challenges the necessity of such casting choices, questioning the absence of more diverse, integrated casts. His comments have further fueled an ongoing power struggle with Disney’s CEO Bob Iger, despite Peltz’s assertion that his goal is not to oust Iger but to aid him. This controversy arrives amid wider discussions on representation and decision-making in Hollywood, with Peltz’s stance drawing varied responses from different stakeholders.
