US PE Shop Plans CCD

Acon Investments is preparing to raise private equity funds from Mexico’s pension funds through a certificado de capital de desarrollo (CCD) transaction. Currently raising $300m-$500m for its Acon Latin American opportunities Fund IV, the CCD would have a life of 10 years, extendible to 12, according to regulatory documents. The exact size to be raised from the CCD remains to be determined. Acon will target equity investments in Mexican companies. It expects to pay investors their principal plus an 8% preferred return, followed by the 80%-20% investor-manager split typical in private equity. ING is managing the process, for which the timing is unclear. Founded in 1996, Acon had $966m under management in LatAm through 3Q 2012. About 36% of its LatAm activity is in Mexico, the largest represented country in the region, followed by Brazil with 30%. The US-based global shop has offices in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Last year, it made a BRL110m ($53m) investment in Brazil’s BSM Engenharia, a service provider to the country’s oil and infrastructure sectors, equal to about 40% of the company.