Articles by Tim Burroughs
Phillip Capital takes stake in Indonesian equipment finance business
Singapore-based Phillip Capital Group has acquired a 9.71% stake in Intan Baruprana Finance (IBF), the financing arm of Indonesian heavy equipment distributor Intraco Penta, through a rights issue. Transaction value was not disclosed.
CDH, Belle to make Baroque big in China
Secondary direct deals frequently stumble on valuations. Private equity investors are sitting on either side of the table and both are hardwired to get the best possible price; the lingering fear is leaving the table with a deal that is either significantly...
Northstar's Singapore buyout starts a new ERA
Singapore property developers sold 481 new homes in July, about one quarter of the previous month's total. It was the predictable result of real estate cooling measures introduced at the end of June that restrict monthly mortgage payments to no more than...
The churn factor
Mid-cap Asian GPs are no strangers to staff turnover, with volatility tracking the peaks and troughs of different regional markets. In times of plenty, when China and India were booming, it seemed that a week couldn't pass without a manager spinning out...
AMP Capital exits Australia care home stake to Singapore's G.K. Goh
AMP Capital has agreed to sell a 47.62% stake in Domain Principal Group (DPG), a leading Australian provider of residential aged care services, to Singapore-listed G.K. Goh Holdings (GKGH) for A$136.7 million ($123.6 million).
Unitas, CCMP set for 3.5x return as Atlas Copco buys Edwards for $1.6b
Unitas Capital will make up to 3.5x its money on Edwards Group after Sweden’s Atlas Copco agreed to buy the specialist vacuum products developer for approximately $1.6 billion, including debt. Unitas and CCMP Capital have owned the business since 2007...
Australia's Starfish Ventures scales back team
Malcolm Thornton and Nick Peace are set to leave Australian VC firm Starfish Ventures, having converted from investment directors to venture partners. They will continue to work with existing portfolio companies until exit at which point the two are expected...
Armstrong commits $30m to Thai solar, biogas projects
Southeast Asian cleantech investor Armstrong Asset Management has committed $30 million to solar and biogas projects being developed by Thailand’s Annex Power. The capital will be used to expand the company’s engineering, procurement and construction...
Orrick strengthens Japan M&A, PE practice
Orrick has appointed Edward S. Johnson as a partner in its M&A and private equity practice in Tokyo. He joins from Paul Hastings, where he previously served as managing partner of the Tokyo office.
OrbiMed targets $300m for second Asia healthcare fund
Healthcare-focused private equity firm OrbiMed Advisors is targeting $300 million for its second Asia fund. The PE firm raised $188 million for its debut regional vehicle in 2008.
Seven PE firms, strategics bid for Hong Kong's ParknShop – report
Seven private equity and strategic investors have reportedly submitted initial offers for ParknShop, the Hong Kong supermarket chain owned by Hutchison Whampoa. The business, which is ultimately controlled by Li Ka-shing, Asia’s wealthiest individual,...
Singapore's Temasek exits Cheniere Energy
Temasek Holdings has halved its stake in Cheniere Energy, taking advantage of a spike in the US liquefied natural gas (LNG) company’s shares. The Singapore fund sold 9.2 million shares in the second quarter of 2013 at a valuation of $257 million.
Sequoia raises $370m for China VC fund
Sequoia Capital has raised $370 million for its latest China-focused venture capital fund.
Baring Asia to exit Magic Holdings as L'Oreal makes $843m takeover bid
Baring Private Equity Asia is on course to exit Chinese cosmetic facial masks specialist Magic Holdings International after L’Oreal offered to buy the company in a deal worth $843 million. The PE player stands to receive $176 million, having invested...
Korea's IMM, Mirae invest $224m in POSCO Specialty Steel
IMM Private Equity and Mirae Asset Private Equity have together invested KRW250 billion ($223.6 million) for a 24% stake in POSCO Specialty Steel (POSCO SS), an affiliate of national steelmaker POSCO. POSCO SS abandoned an IPO effort in December – set...
Everstone-backed beauty brand VLCC makes Singapore bolt-on
VLCC, the Asian health and beauty brand backed by Indian GP Everstone Capital, has bought an 80% stake in Global Vantaage Innovative Group (GVig), a Singapore-based firm that manufactures personal care and skincare products as well as cosmetics. It is...
GP turnover delivers improved fund performance - study
High turnover among GPs leads to improved fund performance, according to a new study conducted by Capital Dynamics and the London Business School (LBS). While the findings appear to turn the prevailing notion that stable teams deliver the best returns...
American Capital infra unit hires ex-Citi banker as Asia MD
American Capital Energy & Infrastructure (E&I), an affiliate of NASDAQ-listed private equity firm American Capital, has appointed Abhay Pande as managing director for Asia. He was formerly co-head of energy global banking in the region for Citigroup....
Abraaj, CDC back India's Rainbow Hospitals
The Abraaj Group and CDC, the UK government’s development finance arm, have together committed $17.5 million to Rainbow Hospitals, a pediatric and maternity healthcare facility in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The size of the stake was...
Intel Capital commits $8.8m to Indian big data firm NxtGen
Intel Capital, global chipmaker Intel’s corporate VC arm, has invested $8.8 million in NxtGen Datacenter & Cloud Technologies, a Bangalore-based IT infrastructure services provider. The capital will primarily be used to complete NxtGen’s large high-density...
Zodius seed funding supports Antuit's US acquisition
Zodius Capital provided $3 million in seed funding to Antuit, a Singapore-headquartered big data and analytics company. A portion of the capital will be used to finance the purchase of Marketwell, giving the company a readymade footprint in the US market....
Financial technology: The new normal
Initiatives are in place to make private equity reporting faster, more detailed and completely standardized. Are the guidelines a good fit for the industry in Asia and what are GPs doing to meet them?
Breaking down the buyout opportunity
Multinational corporations, with one eye on their precarious balance sheets, decide to cut their losses and offload divisions. Septuagenarian founders, keen to retire from the family business but with no obvious successor, agree that it's time to cash...
Singapore's GIC refines investment approach
GIC Private, the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, has recalibrated its investment framework, splitting its portfolio into three strategies intended to strike a balance between its risk and return expectations, long-term investment objectives and desire...