Asia
KKR boosts Asia business by offering outbound deal access
Building relationships and generating deal flow in Asia doesn’t necessarily involve starting in Asia, according to Joe Bae, regional head of KKR. The private equity firm has made inroads in Japan, South Korea and China by providing local partners with...
4Q analysis: End-of-year blues
Direct investors stand out as those around them fade; the fundraising climate continues to weaken; a few bright spots in the IPO market
Fosun, IFC set up Asia-focused reinsurer
Fosun International has teamed up with International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, to enter the Asia Pacific reinsurance market. The newly established operation, Peak Reinsurance Company (Peak Re), has been licensed...
EMPEA's Alexander to join Abraaj
Sarah Alexander, CEO of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA), has agreed to join The Abraaj Group as a managing director. EMPEA’s executive committee has recommended that Jennifer Choi, currently vice president of industry and external...
Newgate Communications launches in Hong Kong
Newgate Communications has opened its first Asian office in Hong Kong, which is headed by Richard Barton, formerly Asia managing partner at Kreab Gavin Anderson (KGA). This is part of a broader strategic expansion initiative that will also see the firm...
LPs on Asia: The risk factor
Proximity is reassuring. It shouldn't be surprising that a corporate governance scandal in Asia triggers concerns among institutional investors in North America who are far removed from the information flow and first hear the news via newspaper headlines...
Texas County & District invests $50m in RRJ's second fund
Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) has committed $50 million to RRJ Capital’s second fund, which is targeting up to $5 billion. The private equity firm is run by Richard Ong, who previously co-founded China-focused Hopu Investment Management,...
Partners Group raises $1b for Asia Pacific, emerging markets
Partners Group has raised $1 billion for its 2011 vintage Asia Pacific and emerging markets private equity programs. In addition to Asia Pacific, the programs target investments in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa.
Templeton fully divests second emerging markets fund
Franklin Templeton has exited all the investments held in its second emerging markets fund, which was established in 2005 and had a corpus of $132.5 million. The vehicle has generated a net IRR of 34.3% and a money multiple of 2.1x.
KKR raises $6b for Asia fund - report
KKR is said to have reached the $6 billion target for its second pan-Asia fund. It is the largest vehicle ever raised in the region, topping the $4.25 billion raised by TPG Capital for its fifth Asia fund in 2007.
Ascalon's Chuak Chan promoted from Asia head to CEO
Ascalon Capital Managers has appointed Chuak Chan as CEO. He joined the Australia-headquartered firm last year as head of Asia, having previously worked at Hong Kong hedge fund Segantii Capital Management, ING Investment Management and Bankers Trust in...
2012: That was the year that was
The broad trends and particular highlights of private equity fundraising, investment and exit activity in Asia
Predictions for 2013
Growth capital, buyouts, public and private exits, secondaries and new frontiers – private equity professionals from Asia and beyond predict the future
Illinois Teachers commits up to $125m to MBK's third fund
Illinois Teachers' Retirement System has committed up to $125 million to MBK Partners III. The pension plan previously committed $25 million to the North Asia-focused private equity firm’s second vehicle in 2008.
Partners Group raises $2.6b for global secondaries fund
Partners Group has closed its latest secondary fund at the hard cap of EUR2 billion ($2.6 billion) and expects to deploy a higher proportion of the corpus in Asia than for previous vehicles as the region’s private equity market matures. The vehicle was...
Primus Financial shuts down fund
Primus Financial Holdings, the private equity firm set up by three former Citigroup bankers to invest in financial services assets across Asia, has closed its fund. The firm profited from an investment in New China Life Insurance but is best known for...
Khazanah in $356m exit from AIA
Khazanah Nasional, the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, has exited its entire holding in Hong Kong-listed AIA Group, raising HK$2.76 billion ($356 million). The sale comes as the lockup on American International Group’s stake in the Asia-focused insurance...
Blackstone to launch Asia real estate fund
The Blackstone Group is launching an Asia real estate fund to capitalize on what Tony James, the firm’s president, described as a “golden moment” to engage in property market investment.
Asia Awards: Firm of the Year – Bain Capital
In the past 12 months, Bain Capital has raised its second Asia fund, closed sizeable deals in Japan and India, and completed a strong China exit. Jonathan Zhu, a managing director at the PE firm, looks back and forward
Asia Awards: PE Professional of the Year – Roy Kuan
CVC Capital Partners has completed five investments and two exits in the last 12 months. Managing Partner Roy Kuan, who leads the Asia team, and colleagues Francis Leung and SigitPrasetya, discuss market trends
Asia Awards: Fundraising of the Year – PAG
Given the challenging fundraising environment, GPs – especially first-time fund managers – should expect the marketing process to be at best protracted and at worst impossible. The notion doesn’t apply to this year’s winner of the Fundraising of the Year...
New York Life Capital is renamed GoldPoint
New York Life Capital Partners, the boutique investment arm of New York Life, has renamed itself GoldPoint Partners. The exercise is intended to create a distinct identity for the firm; it doesn’t involve any change in ownership, management personnel...
Hamilton Lane targets $400m FOF, 15% for emerging markets
Hamilton Lane is targeting $400 million for its latest fund-of-funds vehicle, with 15% of the capital earmarked for emerging markets. According to a document sent to prospective investors, Fund VIII promises a fairly even distribution between US and European...
Maine PERS commits $30m to Affinity's fourth Asia fund
Affinity Equity Partners has secured a $30 million commitment for its fourth pan-Asia fund from the Maine Public Employees’ Retirement Systems (Maine PERS). It was one of four investments, each of the $30 million that the $11 billion pension plan announced...