South Korea
Baring sells Korea's Halla Cement to trade buyer
Baring Private Equity Asia has finalized an agreement to sell its majority stake in Korean construction materials business Halla Cement to Asia Cement.
Adams Street opens South Korea office
Adams Street Partners has established an office in Seoul in an effort to expand access to clients and investment opportunities in the region.
Australia's IFM opens Korea office
IFM Investors, an investment manager owned by 28 Australian superannuation funds, has opened an office in Seoul to service clients in South Korea.
STIC buys stake in Korean telecom equipment maker
STIC Investments will take a 25.18% stake in Winnercom, a South Korean manufacturer of telecom equipment and automobile components, as part of Humax’s acquisition of the company.
Asia Cement named preferred bidder for Baring-owned Halla
Asia Cement, a mid-tier Korean construction materials producer, has been selected as the preferred bidder for Halla Cement, which Baring Private Equity Asia put up for sale earlier this year.
South Korea's MyMusicTaste gets $11m Series C
KTB Network has led an $11 million Series C funding round for MyMusicTaste, a Korean crowdsourcing platform operator focused on organizing fan-requested concerts.
TPG invests in Korean vinyl tile producer
TPG Capital has agreed to take a significant minority stake in Nox Group, a Korea-based manufacturer of luxury flooring materials. The size of the investment was not disclosed.
SparkLabs launches $100m blockchain fund
SparkLabs Group has launched a $100 million early-stage venture capital fund that will focus on blockchain and cryptocurrency investments globally.
IMM to buy Korean fashion e-commerce business
IMM Private Equity has agreed to buy a majority stake in W Concept Korea, an own-brand online clothing retailer owned by ISE Commerce, a multi-strategy Korean e-commerce business.
Affinity to buy Burger King Japan
Affinity Equity Partners, which already owns Burger King in South Korea, has assumed control of the fast food chain’s master franchise for Japan.
Goldman backs South Korean bakery ingredients maker
Goldman Sachs has invested KRW34 billion ($29.9 million) in Korean specialty food ingredients manufacturer Sun-in.
Korea bans initial coin offerings
South Korea has initiated a ban on fundraising exercises known as initial coin offerings (ICO) which involve the unregulated sale of cryptographic tokens.
MBK to buy stake in Korean golf course business
MBK Partners, which completed its acquisition of Japanese golf course operator Accordia Golf earlier this year, has agreed to take a stake in the golf course management business of Korea-listed Golfzon.
MBK hires Deutsche executive to co-lead credit strategy
North Asia-focused buyout player MBK Partners has hired Stephen Le, formerly of Deutsche Bank, to co-head a newly-launched fund that will make credit and special situations investments.
Bain, Goldman agree $2.7b exit from Carver Korea
Bain Capital Private Equity and Goldman Sachs have agreed to sell their majority stake in Carver Korea, a specialist cosmetics supplier, to Unilever in a deal worth EUR2.27 billion ($2.7 billion).
Korea LPs: Credit junkies
Korean institutional investors favor private debt over other alternatives asset classes because of its long tenor and stable cash flows. Multi-credit strategies are likely to launch as more capital is allocated overseas
Formation 8 backs Yello Mobile's O2O unit
Formation Group, a Silicon Valley and Asia-focused venture capital firm established by Formation 8 co-founder Brian Koo, has invested KRW112.5 million ($99 million) in the online-to-offline (O2O) services unit of Korean mobile internet platform Yello...
Korea, Singapore launch cross-border healthcare incubator
Singapore investor Golden Equator Capital and Korean research organization C&R Healthcare Global have jointly launched an incubation program that will help Korean healthcare start-ups execute Asian expansions via Singapore.
L Catterton Asia backs Korean eyewear brand
L Catterton Asia has led a consortium including Groupe Arnault - the family office of LVMH founder Bernard Arnault, which is one of the firm's LPs - to purchase a stake in Gentle Monster, a South Korean sunglasses and eyewear brand.
GPs must be selective in targeting Korea divestments – AVCJ Forum
Korea's push for chaebol reform is expected to create more PE investment opportunities as conglomerates are pressured to divest assets, but GPs told the AVCJ Korea Forum that they have to be careful in picking the right deals because asset quality varies.
Deal focus: Lock & Lock primed for regional expansion
Affinity Equity Partners is betting on Asian appetites for high-quality food containers in its acquisition of South Korea's Lock & Lock
Korean fintech: Financial times
Korea’s financial technology sector is affording start-ups disruption opportunities based on an outdated infrastructure environment. Early movers are experimenting with a number of business models
Q&A: TMON Chairman Daniel Shin
Daniel Shin, chairman of TMON – formerly known as Ticket Monster – dissects the competitive Korean e-commerce space, with an eye on how new technological applications can provide an operational edge
Korea securities firms: Brokerage bonanza
Korean securities firms are building PE teams with a view to raising capital from third-party investors. There is government support for these efforts, but independent GPs aren’t worried about increased competition