Articles by Anita Davis
MSPEA-backed Biotor close to shuttering - report
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia’s (MSPEA) first and only Indian portfolio company from its pan-Asian fund, Mumbai-based biofuel company Biotor Industries, is reportedly on the verge of closing its operations, which could leave MSPEA out of its INR2...
Advantage, Bain among bidders in final round of Yayoi auction
Advantage Partners, Bain Capital and financial services firm Orix Corp. have reportedly advanced into the final round of bidding for MBK Partners-owned Japanese accounting software developer Yayoi, which is expected to be one of the biggest sales in the...
Goldman raises $1.1b in ICBC stake dilution
Goldman Sachs' investment in the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) looks to be paying off. Across three separate stake sales, the US investment firm has more than doubled its original capital commitment, and it still owns a 2.4% stake in the...
Update - MSPEA buys restaurant manager Nolboo
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) has completed its first acquisition in Korea since seeing the departure of four key executives nearly 18 months ago, closing a transaction that has garnered praise from industry peers but also raises questions....
Samsung Ventures invests in digital TV ad platform YuMe
Samsung Ventures, the VC investment arm of Korea’s Samsung Group, has participated in a $12 million funding round in US-based YuMe, a digital video advertising platform.
Spotless rejects PEP's $700m takeover offer
Australian cleaning services company Spotless Group has rejected Pacific Equity Partners’ (PEP) A$698.3 million ($702 million) takeover offer, branding the bid as too low.
GIC ups stake in Chinese department store Intime
The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) has raised its stake in Hong Kong-listed Intime Department Store from 2.44% to 9.08%, buying 134.2 million new and existing shares.
Accel closes India III fund at $155m
Venture capital firm Accel Partners has closed its seed and early stage investment vehicle Accel India III at $155 million, raised by institutional investors from North America, Europe and Asia.
MBK among bidders for GS Caltex stake - report
Approximately 10 companies, including trade players and Korean private equity firm MBK Partners, have reportedly submitted bids to acquire a 50% stake in South Korean oil refiner GS Caltex Corp. in a deal that could be worth KRW300 billion ($263.9 million)....
Sino-Forest denies fraud claims
Private equity-backed Chinese forestry firm Sino-Forest has denied allegations by short-seller Muddy Waters that it engaged in fraudulent activity related to its assets and revenue reporting.
BofA sold CCB shares to Temasek, Chinese institutions
A group comprising of Singapore’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund Temasek and several Chinese institutions have materialized as the buyers of the 10.4 billion shares in China Construction Bank (CCB) sold by Bank of America (BofA) for nearly $6.6...
Morgan Stanley in line for HCP Holdings acquisition
Morgan Stanley Private Equity (MSPE) is reportedly negotiating with Chinese packaging firm HCP Holdings to purchase an 80% stake. The deal is said to value the company at approximately $500 million.
PEP eyes Spotless buyout - report
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) is reportedly looking to acquire Australian cleaning services company Spotless Group for as much as A$700 million ($715 million), coming months after the ASX-listed company rejected Blackstone’s A$657 million bid.
BofA sells $6.6b of CCB shares
Bank of America (BofA) has jettisoned the majority of its remaining shares in China Construction Bank (CCB) for nearly $6.6 billion. The US bank now owns 1% of CCB, down from the 9.9% it once held.
Archer sues UK's Sage Group over MYOB deal
Archer Capital has filed an A$130 million ($133 million) suit against British software company Sage Group for damages related to its decision to end acquisition talks for Australian software maker MYOB.
TPG scales back buyouts in Europe as it ramps up in Asia - report
TPG Capital is said to be scaling back its European buyout operations amid a volatile investment environment, in a move that may result in a strengthening of TPG’s Asian focus.
ChrysCapital raises $225m for Fund VI
ChrysCapital has reportedly raised $225 million for its sixth fund, ChrysCapital VI, en route to its $500 million target.
Judge rules on VisionChina case
Venture investors in Shanghai-based subway mobile television advertiser Digital Media Group (DGM) have begun taking steps to attach $30 million of assets belonging to out-of-home digital advertising network VisionChina Media following a ruling by the...
Blackstone, Carlyle near Reliance tower acquisition - report
A consortium comprised of The Blackstone Group and The Carlyle Group may purchase Reliance Group’s cellular towers by December, in a deal that will finally see the Indian communications major divest its ailing tower assets.
Goldman dilutes stake in ICBC for $1.1b
Goldman Sachs has divested $1.1 billion worth of shares in Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), bringing the total capital it has raised across three sell-downs to $5.26 billion.
PE succession planning: Continuity issues
Asia’s private equity industry may not be old, but it is still volatile. Firms that fail to address succession planning – due to staff turnover if not staff ages – risk losing the confidence of LPs.
Profile: Veronica John of Serasi Capital
Serasi Capital’s Veronica John has set up businesses in some of the world’s most challenging environments. She feels well-equipped to launch a private equity fund of her own.
Q&A: CLSA's Peter Kennedy
Cleantech has emerged as a hot investment topic in Asia, but generating returns is a work in progress. Peter Kennedy, head of CLSA’s Clean Resources Fund, gives advice on navigating the space.
Quadrant sells Australian jeweler to Indian trade player
Quadrant has sold its Australian portfolio company The Jewellery Group to M Suresh Group DMCC, a global jewelry maker based in Mumbai.