Financial Services
Carlyle completes China Pacific exit, takes total sales value past $5b
The Carlyle Group has completed what is said to be its largest-ever cash exit globally, selling the last of its interest in China Pacific Insurance for $796 million. The private equity firm has accumulated more than $5 billion through a series of block...
Cerberus begins Aozora exit with $1.8b sell down
Cerberus is to sell the bulk of its 58% holding in Japan's Aozora Bank through a public market sale that could generate up to JPY158.1 billion ($1.8 billion). The US firm's stake would fall to 8%.
Taiwan's Chinatrust in talks to buy Tokyo Star Bank - report
Chinatrust Commercial Bank, one of Taiwan's largest commercial banks, is reportedly in talks to acquire Tokyo Star Bank for JPY50 billion ($582 million). Tokyo Star's shareholders, which include Lone Star Funds, have previously struggled to find interested...
Insurance Australia sells UK business to Aquiline Capital
Insurance Australia Group has agreed to sell its UK business – Equity Red Star – to Aquiline Capital Partners for GBP87 million ($140 million). The transaction is scheduled for completion before June 2013.
Sequoia leads $9.2m Series B in iCreate
Sequoia Capital is leading a INR500 milion ($9.2 million) round of investment in data analytics start-up iCreate Software. Sequoia’s Gautam Mago will join the board.
GCS Capital finalizes Dexia asset management deal
GCS Capital has agreed to buy Dexia asset management (DAM) business shortly after entering into exclusive negotiations with the Belgo-French financial group. The Hong Kong-based private equity firm has also signed a strategic partnership agreement with...
CNEI leads $20m Series B for Juxin International Leasing
China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI) has led a Series B round of financing for Chinese specialty leasing company Juxin International Leasing. The investors acquired a 12.1% interest in Juxin for $20 million.
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...
Northstar buys 49% stake in Trimegah Securities
Northstar Pacific Partners has acquired a 49% stake in Indonesian brokerage Trimegah Securities for IDR200 billion ($20.8 million). The investment was channeled through Northstar Equity Partners III, which closed last year at $820 million.
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...
CX Partners invests in TSI’s India ATM business
CX Partners has invested INR1.2 billion ($23 million) in India ATM business of Transaction Solutions International (TSN), an electronic transactions specialist listed in Australia.
GCS Capital in talks to buy Dexia asset management unit
GCS Capital, a Hong Kong-based private equity firm, is in exclusive talks to buy Dexia’s asset management arm. It is estimated that the deal could be worth EUR500 million, lower than the EUR750 million Dexia was reportedly seeking when it put the asset...
VCs back $8m Series B round for Shubham HDFC
Accion and Saama Capital have jointly invested $4 million in India's Shubham Housing Development Finance Company. The venture capital firms join existing investors Elevar Equity and Helion Venture Capital in a second round of funding worth $8 million...
Beyond banks: Alternative financing in India
Recognizing India’s demand for financial products that involve more than just equity, traditional PE firms are targeting structured credit, joining distressed players that used to call the territory their own.
Sequoia backs Chinese online lender Ppdai
Sequoia Capital has invested in a Series A financing round of Ppdai, a Chinese peer-to-peer online lending firm. The capital is expected to expand the company’s capacity on technology infrastructure and marketing campaigns.
Patni brothers buy stake in Grameen Capital India
Amit and Arihant Patni, the brothers who set up internet-focused VC firm Nirvana Venture Advisors, have acquired a stake in Grameen Capital India (GCI) from its original investor IFMR Trust. The transaction is said to represent a first-of-its-kind exit...
Abraaj-backed Network International buys Indian remittance firm
Abraaj Capital-backed Network International has acquired a majority stake in TimesofMoney, an India-based online remittance company.
Lone Star starts arbitration proceedings against Korean government
Lone Star Funds has initiated arbitration of its claim for damages suffered as a result of alleged unlawful intervention by the Korean government with the private equity firm’s rights as a major shareholder in Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) and other companies...
Warburg Pincus backs India’s Future Capital
Warburg Pincus' investment in Future Capital Holdings probably wasn’t the first private equity deal conceived on an evening flight from New Delhi to Mumbai and it almost certainly won’t be the last.
India mobile payment firm raises Series A round
Mobile payments company Ezetap Mobile Solution has raised a Series A round of funding from Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Social+Capital Partnership, PayPal’s Peter Thiel and David Sacks of Microsoft, among others. Existing investor AngelPrime...
Carlyle in talks with Prizm for controlling stake – report
The Carlyle Group is reportedly in advanced talks with Sequoia-backed Prizm Payments, India's leading electronic payments service providers, for a controlling stake in the company. The deal is said to value Prizm at $225-250 million, which is equivalent...
Japan mulls bank rule change, prompts protectionist fears
The Japanese Government is considering altering regulations to allow banks to own larger stakes in Japanese companies, prompting fears of protectionism among the private equity community.
China Private Equity restructures Australia securities platform investment
China Private Equity Investment Holdings (CPE), an AIM-listed vehicle that claims to offer European investors exposure to Chinese private equity without the limitations imposed by closed-end funds, has restructured its investment in Australian online...
Baring India increases holding in Manappuram Finance
Baring India Private Equity has once again upped its stake in Manappuram Finance, a non-bank financial company (NBFC) specializing in gold loans.