Equita S p A : wins the Private Debt Awards 2020 (AIFI and Deloitte) in the category "Closed transactions - Leverage buyout / Extraordinary transactions"

PRESS RELEASE

EQUITA WINS THE PRIVATE DEBT AWARDS 2020 (AIFI AND DELOITTE) IN THE CATEGORY "CLOSED TRANSACTIONS - LEVERAGE BUYOUT / EXTRAORDINARY TRANSACTIONS"

Milan, 18th September 2020

The private debt team of Equita, the leading independent investment bank in Italy, wins the third edition of the Private Debt Awards with the deal "Passione Unghie".

In March 2019 the private debt team invested, with a mix of subordinated debt and equity, Euro 7.8 million to finance the acquisition of Passione Unghie, leading Italian player in the online sale of nailcare solutions, from Orienta Partners and other co-investors.This deal allowed Equita to win the award sponsored by AIFI - the Italian Association of private capital - and

Deloitte in the category "Closed transactions - Leverage buyout / Extraordinary transactions".

Equita - together with the winners of the other categories - was awarded by a jury of high-standing professionals belonging to the institutional, entrepreneurial and academic world. 12 transactions from 7 different private debt funds were initially identified as candidates for the Private Debt Awards and 3 transactions were shortlisted as candidates to win the "Closed transactions - Leverage buyout / Extraordinary transactions" category (including the French fund manager Tikehau Capital and the Italian fund manager Green Arrow Capital) where Equita was prized.

The jury that voted the winners of the Private Debt Awards 2020 was chaired by Innocenzo Cipolletta (chairman AIFI) and composed by Luigi Abete (chairman, FeBAF), Andrea Azzolini (manager debt advisory, Deloitte), Guido Corbetta (full professor management and technology, Bocconi), Giancarlo Giudici (associate professor corporate finance, Politecnico Milano), Sergio Luciano (director, Economy), Giovanni Maggi (chairman, Assofondipensione), Luca Manzoni (manager corporate banking, Banco BPM), Christian Martino (chief editor, Plus 24 - Il Sole 24ORE), Emanuele Orsini (vice chairman, Confindustria), Federico Visconti (dean, Università Carlo Cattaneo - LIUC).

Paolo Pendenza, Head of Private Debt at Equita Capital SGR, commented: "We are glad for this award that comes few days after the First Closing of our second private debt fund and follows the nomination as best private debt team received in 2018 at the Financecommunity Awards. These achievements confirm the abilities of our team and give us new incentives to reach the growth targets we set".

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Equita Group	Close to Media	FinElk
Investor Relations - Andrea Graziotto	Adriana Liguori	Teresa Wincrantz
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Equita is the leading Italian independent investment bank, reference partner of Italian companies and institutional investors. Thanks to its 45 years of experience, Equita can offer a clear and focused business model: Global Markets, with its Sales & Trading and Proprietary Trading business lines, offers brokerage on equities, bonds, derivatives and ETFs for domestic and international institutional customers, market making, specialist and liquidity provider services. To such activities, Equita offers a high profile Investment Banking platform, dedicated to advisory to companies and financial institutions. The Alternative Asset Management division, which provides traditional portfolio management along with innovative private debt and private equity portfolio management, such as the special acquisition vehicle (SPAC), completes the range of special and synergic services offered. Then, all business lines are continuously supported by a Research team recognized for its excellence. Independent advice and deep knowledge of capital markets grant Equita credibility among domestic and international institutional investors, ensuring a unique positioning in the Italian market, with a focus on mid & small caps.

EQUITA GROUP S.P.A.| VIA TURATI, 9 - 20121 MILAN | TEL. [phone] | [e-mail] | WWW.EQUITA.EU

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