The diversified nature of UK-listed private equity group 3i helped it to mitigate the impact of last summer's credit crisis and even increase its investment activity by 58% in the nine months to December 31.

3i said in its interim management statement that in the nine months to 31 December, it made investments totalling £1.78bn, a 58% increase on the £1.13bn invested during the same period in 2006.