Articles by Anita Davis
Hoyts' IPO delay highlights industry anxiety
Australia experienced an especially difficult year for IPOs in 2010. News throughout the year of delays and abandoned listing plans were consistently attributed to inclement market conditions, while trade sales seemed the only exit option. Yet, despite...
NSR, IL&FS telco tower operators to merge
Private equity firm New Silk Route's (NSR) investee Ascend Telecom Infrastructure will merge its telecommunications tower business with India Telecom Infra Ltd. (ITIL) – which is 50%-owned by industry peer IL&FS – in an effort to shore up their resources...
Bright Food on Yoplait's shortlist - reports
The hard-fraught competition to acquire a 50% stake in PE-backed Yoplait is reportedly nearing a close, with Chinese food brand Bright Food Group Co. said to remain a contender for the acquisition, competing against the likes of global food giants Nestle...
BOAML exec to join PE firm - reports
The head of Bank of America-Merrill Lynch's Capital in India, Saurabh Sonthalia, has reportedly departed the group to join an unnamed private equity firm, according to Reuters.
Canaan appoints MD in India
Global VC firm Canaan Partners has appointed Rahul Khanna as Managing Director of Canaan India, charged with overseeing early-stage investments spanning across India’s consumer internet, mobile, software and managed services sectors.
VIDEO: The World Bank's Ulrich Bartsch
Examining the short- and long-term prospects of Asia Pacific’s economy, Senior Economist Macro at the World Bank’s India Office Ulrich Bartsch tells AVCJ TV that markets’ future health will largely be determined by their young labor force, which may lead...
Hoyts IPO postponed again
Nearly a year after Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) decided to delay the IPO of its Australian cinema investee Hoyts Group, due to inclement market conditions in 2010, the firm announced further delays, with a listing to come at an indefinite time.
Mekong invests in Vietnamese chemical distributor
Mekong Capital has purchased an undisclosed stake in Vietnamese specialty chemical distribution firm Asia Chemical Corporation for $3.4 million - capital invested from the PE firm’s Mekong Enterprise Fund II Ltd. (MEF II)
Affinity, EQT vie for Malaysian glove producer - reports
Affinity Equity Partners and EQT Partners are reportedly competing for a majority stake in Malaysian rubber glove maker YTY Group in a deal estimated to be worth $500 million
Vietnam Infrastructure ups stake in mobile tower builder
Vietnam Infrastructure Limited (VNI), touted as the first publicly traded fund focusing on the country’s infrastructure opportunities, has boosted its stake in telecommunications mobile tower builder Mobile Information Service Joint Stock Company (MIS),...
NSR Chairman Rajat Gupta charged with insider trading
Chairman and Co-Founder of New Silk Route (NSR) Rajat Gupta is being investigated for insider trading by the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging that he passed classified information, garnered through holding executive positions as Goldman Sachs...
D.E. Shaw's Meng departs to launch own fund
Former D.E. Shaw Partner and Greater China head Liang Meng has reportedly departed the hedge fund to start an independent, China-focused private equity fund, co-led by former Goldman Sachs Partner Kevin Zhang.
NSR, IL&FS telco tower operators to merge
Private equity firm New Silk Route’s (NSR) investee Ascend Telecom Infrastructure will merge its telecommunications tower business with India Telecom Infra Ltd. (ITIL), which is 50%-owned by industry peer IL&FS.
Corporate tech VC funds launch in China
Chinese internet powerhouses Tencent and Alibaba are to launch separate private investment vehicles aimed at financing third-party developers in hopes of adopting new technologies – a model in line with overseas corporations that have since proven to...
Hutchison Port Holdings aims for $5.8bn in Singapore
Leading Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa is set to list its ports division, Hutchison Port Holdings Trust, on the Singapore Exchange, targeting $5.8 billion as well as the title of Singapore’s largest listing to date.
WI Harper appoints former Japanese Minister to board
Chinese venture capital firm WI Harper Group has appointed former Japanese Minister of State for Financial Services Heizo Takenaka to its advisory board.
KKR eyes MMI exit to SGX - reports
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) is reportedly looking to exit its wholly owned, Singapore-based engineering firm MMI Holdings via an IPO onto the Singapore Exchange.
Blackstone pays $9.4b for Centro's US assets
In what is classified as Blackstone’s largest deal since the onset of the financial crisis, the buyout firm has bested two rivals to acquire distressed Australian shopping mall owner Centro Properties Group’s 588 real estate assets in the US, paying $9.4...
Woolworths aims to boost wine collection with Archer's Cellarmasters
Australian retail giant Woolworths has made an A$340 ($344.4 million) bid for Archer Capital-owned wine distributor Cellarmasters, coming one and a half months after the company reportedly approached Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Unitas Capital for...
China QFLP program to extend to Beijing
Months after PRC regulators approved a pilot scheme that allows overseas LPs to exchange their currencies into RMB to invest in Shanghai-incorporated private equity funds, authorities are set to extend the rule to Beijing.
Everstone set to close $550m fund
Indian PE firm Everstone Capital Partners is set to close its second fund at its planned $550 million corpus despite an influx of investor interest that has led to the vehicle’s oversubscription, an investor close to the vehicle confirmed to AVCJ.
Dunkin' Donuts brings its coffee into India
Private equity-backed Dunkin' Donuts – the self-proclaimed “favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods” in the US – is to expand into India via a franchise partnership with food chain operator Jubilant Foodworks.
Korean pension fund to ramp up overseas focus
South Korea is to bolster its National Pension Service’s (NPS) international private equity investment activities, aiming to link with overseas funds to broaden domestic companies’ business prospects.
Alibaba Group's Taobao launches fund for developers
Days after Alibaba Group Holdings came under fire for uncovering fraudulent vendors on its B2B domain Alibaba.com, the holding company announced that its popular e-auction site, Taobao.com, would launch an RMB300 million ($45.6 million) fund to foster...