a question

[me78]

Just one more question. I read an article about an American private -equity funds and one sentence is very strange and I need help.
" Whereas buy-out groups consider America a maturing market, they regard the old world, especially continental Europe, as a land of promise. Its cushioned corporate ways are particularly irresistible: the more padding there is to remove, the greater the potential rewards"
I dont understand the words with red.
maturing means growing up or ready to invest or something like this
thanks
and what is the meaning of the" pace "of leveraged buy-outs

[Tdol]

http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...7099-help.html