M&A
India's Snapdeal calls off merger with Flipkart
Indian online marketplace Snapdeal has called off a planned merger with rival Flipkart and will pursue a restructuring plan to allow it to survive as an independent entity. Both companies have substantial PE and VC backing.
J-Star completes Japanese veterinary bolt-on
J-star has acquired Japanese veterinary chain VIS Corporation for an undisclosed amount in a bolt-on to existing portfolio company JVCC.
Platinum to buy Singapore electronics industry supplier
US private equity firm Platinum Equity has agreed to acquire Fischer Tech, a Singapore-based components manufacturer for the electronics industry.
Q&A: BDA's Paul DiGiacomo
Paul DiGiacomo, a managing director with Asia-focused advisory firm BDA Partners, discusses the latest trends in M&A, from increasingly sophisticated Chinese buyers to more willing multinational sellers
Bolt-on acquisitions: Buying growth
Bolt-on acquisitions enable private equity firms to bring down the cost of investments through multiple arbitrage and leveraging synergies. But in a climate of heady valuations, are GPs thinking too big?
PE-owned Blue Star Sports enters Australia, New Zealand
Blue Star Sports, a US-based company controlled by Genstar Capital that provides management software to grassroots sports clubs, has entered the Australia and New Zealand market with the acquisition of SportsTG.
PE-owned Australian childcare providers to merge
Camp Australia, an outside school hours care provider acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity in February, has agreed to merge with Junior Adventures Group (JAG), a similar business controlled by Advent Partners.
China co-working space operators UrWork, New Space merge
UrWork, a Chinese VC-backed co-working office space provider, has agreed to merge with its industry peer New Space. The combined entity will be worth RMB9 billion ($1.3 billion).
Adveq agrees sale to Schroders
Adveq, a global fund-of-funds that deploys $100-200 million every year in Asia, has agreed to an acquisition by UK-listed asset manager Schroders.
Ant Financial raises offer for PE-backed MoneyGram
Alibaba Group's Ant Financial has raised its takeover bid for US-listed financial services company MoneyGram, topping a competing offer made by US-based Euronet Worldwide last month. The sale will provide an exit for Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL).
China semiconductor fund to buy Xcerra for $580m
Sino IC Capital, a technology-focused private equity fund manager backed by the Chinese government, has agreed to acquire US semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Xcerra in a deal that values the company at about $580 million.
China outbound M&A: The smarter money
Despite regulatory curbs on Chinese outbound investment, companies are still interested in M&A opportunities – and they are pursuing less high-profile assets with greater sophistication
J-Star acquires Japan pet services company
J-Star has bought Japanese veterinarian services company Fuji Field for an undisclosed sum as part of a pet clinic consolidation strategy.
Grab buys VC-backed Indonesian e-commerce player Kudo
Southeast Asian ride-hailing app operator Grab has agreed to acquire Kudo, an Indonesian online-to-offline (O2O) e-commerce start-up backed by a number of venture capital firms.
Oceanwide, IDG Capital complete purchase of International Data Group
China Oceanwide Holdings has completed its acquisition of International Data Group (IDG) and now holds a 90% stake in the target’s operating business, with IDG Capital owning the remaining 10%.
HgCapital invests $25m in New Zealand's Gentrack
HgCapital has agreed to invest NZ35.5 million ($25 million) in New Zealand industrial software specialist Gentrack to support an acquisition and expansion process in the UK.
C-Bridge backs China pharma merger
China healthcare-focused GP C-Bridge Capital and Tasly Holding, a traditional Chinese medicine business, have agreed to invest $150 million in a newly-created entity formed through the merger of two local pharmaceutical companies.
Alibaba assumes control of VC-backed online ticket platform
Alibaba Group has taken full ownership of Damai.cn, a leading Chinese online ticketing platform that previously raised funding from VC investors.
China travel sites Woqu, Lulutrip merge, raise $25m
Chinese outbound online travel platforms Woqu.com and Lulutrip – both of which have received several rounds of funding from VC and strategic investors – have agreed to merge. The combined entity has received $25 million in new funding.
Euronet challenges Alibaba's acquisition of PE-backed MoneyGram
US payment services company Euronet Worldwide has extended a buyout offer worth about $2 billion for NASDAQ-listed MoneyGram, contesting a bid made earlier this year by Alibaba Group’s PE-backed affiliate Ant Financial. The pending sale will provide...
VIDEO: Lorna Chen, Shearman & Sterling
Lorna Chen, partner and head of the Asia asset management and investment funds practice at Shearman & Sterling, discusses China outbound investment
Hong Kong PE buys into US-HK entertainment merger
Co-High Investment Management, a Hong Kong-based private equity firm focused largely on culture and media, has agreed to invest in a film production company formed through a US-Hong Kong merger.
China outbound M&A: Time will tell
Restrictions on outbound investment have China’s investor community scrambling to adapt, but devising a proper response depends on future decisions from notoriously opaque regulatory agencies
Deal focus: GPs target healthy scale
Oaktree Capital Management and Navis Capital Partners are merging Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness in the expectation that scale will be rewarded in Southeast Asia's gym market