Articles by Tim Burroughs
Placement agent Monument hires Amundsson in Hong Kong
Monument Group has hired Niklas Amundsson, formerly of MVision, as a managing director in its Hong Kong office, which officially opened early last year.
VIDEO: MVision's Mounir Guen
There have been considerable improvement in Asian PE firms’ internal processes covering disclosure, governance and best practice, but the sheer LP demand for exposure to the region could push managers towards unsustainable fund sizes, says Mounir Guen,...
Australian pension funds most aggressive on alternatives – study
Australia’s superannuation funds have been the most aggressive of the major global pension players in developing alternatives exposure over the last 10 years, according a new study.
Equis raises $1.7b for Asia energy, infrastructure investments
Asia-focused energy and infrastructure GP Equis Funds Group has closed its second fund at $1 billion and also raised $300 million for a follow-on vehicle to Fund I and $400 million for two existing platform investments.
India mobile recharge platform FreeCharge raises $80m
Two hedge funds, San Francisco-based Valiant Capital Management and Hong Kong’s Tybourne Capital Management, have participated in an $80 million Series C round for Indian mobile top-up platform FreeCharge.
Rocket Internet buys up Asia food delivery platforms
Online food delivery provider Foodpanda has acquired peers in seven Asian markets and become part of a global platform created by its parent, Rocket Internet.
VC-backed WoWo sets terms for $66m NASDAQ IPO
Chinese entertainment and lifestyle-focused e-commerce platform WoWo – which started out as operator of group-buying site 55tuan – plans to raise up to $66 million through its IPO on NASDAQ.
Chinese strategic buys UK subsea vehicle business from PE
CSR Corporation, best known as China’s largest manufacturer of metro cars, has agreed to buy UK-based subsea vehicle maker Specialist Machine Developments (SMD) from Inflexion Private Equity for an enterprise valuation of GBP120 million ($184 million).
Fidelity commits $10m to Greenlight Planet
Fidelity Growth Partners India has led a $10 million round of funding for Greenlight Planet, a US-based manufacturer of solar-powered lanterns for use in off-grid homes in developing countries.
DBS launches Singapore venture debt program
DBS Bank has launched a venture debt program to support Singapore start-ups, presenting a capital-raising channel that involves little or no dilution of equity.
Australia's Future Fund ups PE allocation to 9.5%
Australia’s Future Fund increased its private equity allocation from 7.7% to 9.5% over the course of 2014 as total assets under management reached A$109 billion ($85 billion). The return for the 12 months ended December was 13.2%.
CPPIB, QIC back $2.3b Sydney infrastructure project
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) are part of a consortium alongside toll road operator Transurban Group that is backing Sydney’s A$2.9 billion ($2.3 billion) NorthConnex tunnel project.
Australia’s DesignCrowd wins backing from AirTree Ventures
DesignCrowd, an Australia-based crowdsourcing platform used to source designs from hundreds of freelance designers, has received A$6 million ($4.6 million) in a Series B funding round led by AirTree Ventures.
Temasek leas $60m round for India big data player Manthan
Temasek Holdings has led a $60 million round if funding for India-based data analytics firm Manthan Software Services, with participation from existing backer Norwest Venture Partners.
CITIC PE, Beijing Enterprises Water to buy majority stake in Jin Cai
CITIC Private Equity has teamed up with Beijing Enterprises Water Group to acquire a majority stake in Jin Cai Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed cigarette packaging manufacturer that wants to enter the clean energy space.
Hahn & Co gets $1.9b for two funds
Christmas holidays are a rarity at Hahn & Co. The Korean buyout firm’s acquisition of Posfine, a slag powder business owned by steelmaker Posco, closed on December 30. The 2013 seasonal period was dominated by negotiations over a majority stake in Hanjin’s...
Longreach puts a ring on it
Is the spirit of romance ebbing away in Japan? Naoki Sawano, president of bridal jewelry specialist Primo Japan, suggested as much a couple of years ago. He held a trend among young people “to think of the proposal and the engagement ring as two separate...
Asian GPs and AIFMD: Shades of gray
Many Asian managers are coming to terms with how the EU’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers’ Directive might impact their fundraising plans. Unfortunately the legislation remains difficult to fathom
China exits: Time to trade
Examined purely in dollar terms, China private equity trade sales offer little insight.
Hahn & Co closes Fund II at $1.2b, raises $700m co-invest vehicle
Hahn & Co has reached a final close on its second South Korea buyout fund at the hard cap of $1.2 billion, and raised a separate $700 million co-investment pool to support the $3.6 billion acquisition of Halla Visteon Climate Control Corporation (HVCC).
Clearwater's Petty becomes EMPEA chairman
Robert Petty, managing partner and co-founder of Asia-focused special situations and credit investor Clearwater Capital Partners, has been elected chairman of EMPEA.
Longreach buys jeweler Primo Japan from Baring Asia
North Asia-focused GP The Longreach Group has acquired Primo Japan from Baring Private Equity Asia, with a view to expanding the bridal jewelry specialist into mainland China.
Canada’s Fairfax Financial raises $1b for India investment unit
Canada-based Fairfax Financial Holdings has raised $1 billion for its recently-formed India investment unit through a combination of an IPO and a private placement.
CDC invests $25m in rural-focused India rail freight business
CDC Group, the UK development finance institution (DFI), has committed $25 million to Indian railway freight handler Pristine Logistics.