Articles by Tim Burroughs
3Q analysis: Haves and have nots
Third quarter analysis: Fundraising fortunes become ever more polarized; Korea continues to be the stand-out buyout market, while India shows growth from a very low base; China IPOs are on the comeback trail
Northstar Group picks up ERA regional master franchise
Northstar Group has completed the acquisition of the Asia Pacific master franchise rights for property agency ERA from Hersing Corporation. It follows the Southeast Asia-focused GP's purchase of ERA franchise in Singapore from the same seller two months...
Acquisition finance: Familiar territory?
Once regarded warily by banks due to the lack of security in providing offshore financing against onshore assets, Asia buyouts that rely on offshore holdco structures are increasingly sought after.
Voting closes today for the 2013 AVCJ Awards
Voting for the 2013 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards closes today.
CITIC Capital, Crestview buy machinery supplier Stackpole
CITIC Capital Partners has teamed up with New York-based Crestview Partners to buy Stackpole International, a North American machinery supplier, from Sterling Group and Current Capital. The transaction value was not disclosed but it is reportedly $512...
Alibaba will not pursue Hong Kong listing
Alibaba Group has decided not to pursue a Hong Kong IPO after efforts to persuade the exchange to accommodate a shareholding structure that allows management to retain control of the business met with a lukewarm response. It is unclear where the listing...
AVCJ daily bulletin returns October 15
There will be no AVCJ bulletin on October 14 due to a public holiday in Hong Kong marking the Chung Yeung Festival.
CIC agrees $1.3b debt-for-equity swap with Bumi Resources
China Investment Corporation (CIC) has agreed a debt-for-equity swap worth $1.3 billion with embattled Indonesian miner Bumi Resources.
Stepstone completes Greenpark deal
StepStone Group has merged with secondaries specialist Greenpark Capital. The widely-anticipated transaction has been confirmed, but a spokesperson declined to give more information on how it was structured, citing confidentiality requirements.
MBK closes third North Asia buyout fund at $2.7b hard cap
MBK Partners has closed its third fund at the hard cap of $2.7 billion after just over one year in the market. The North Asia-focused GP, which was founded by Michael B. Kim, former president of Carlyle Asia Partners, set an initial target of around $2.25...
KKR invests $200m in Malaysia’s Weststar Aviation
KKR has completed its first investment in Malaysia, paying approximately MYR642 million ($200 million) for a substantial minority stake in Weststar Aviation Services (WAS). It is also the first investment from KKR Asian Fund II, a $6 billion vehicle that...
Sierra Ventures leads Series C round for China's Social Touch
Chinese social marketing services provider Social Touch has raised $10 million in Series C funding from a group of investors led by Sierra Ventures. Legend Capital and GGV Capital, which backed the company in its previous two rounds, also participated.
Creador makes SE Asia e-payment breakthrough
Creador spent a couple of years looking for ways to enter Southeast Asia’s electronic payments space without much success. “We are a firm believer that there is a shift from cash to credit and debit solutions and e-commerce will push this to the next...
Will buyouts boss the 2013 India Awards?
India buyouts have crossed the $1 billion threshold in only two years since private equity first came to the country. Those years were, unsurprisingly, 2006 and 2007, the peak of the pre-global financial crisis boom, when total PE investment reached $7.7...
Australia’s Ironbridge completes Bravura take-private
Ironbridge Capital has completed the take-private of Australia-based financial services administrator Bravura Solutions after minority shareholders approved a deal that values the company around A$173 million ($158 million).
Nominations for the AVCJ India Awards - final call
Nominations for the 2013 AVCJ India Awards close today. This is the industry's last chance to highlight the leading fundraises, investments, exits, professionals and firms of the last 12 months.
Creador to take 20% stake in Malaysia's GHL, back e-pay acquisition
Creador will take a 20% stake in Malaysia-based payment services provider GHL Systems through a private placement of new shares. The capital will in part be used to finance GHL’s proposed acquisition of Australian Securities Exchange-listed e-pay Asia.
Asia PE fundraising recovers to $9.5b in third quarter
Asia-focused private equity funds raised $9.5 billion in the third quarter of 2013, up from the multi-year low of $5.2 billion in the previous quarter, according to provisional data from AVCJ Research. A total of 54 vehicles reached a partial or final...
Investors see bifurcation in Asia real assets exposure - AVCJ Forum
Investor appetite for real assets in Asia is strong, but infrastructure and real estate players speaking at the AVCJ Real Assets forum in Singapore noted that the nature of demand – between real estate and infrastructure and also between different entry...
CFOs: Hunters, not farmers
The ideal private equity portfolio company CFO is a rare creature in any market. Asia presents its own challenges in terms of recruiting appropriate talent and the issues this person must address
KKR, CDH go greenfield in China
KKR isn’t known for backing start-ups, but the risks associated with the firm’s recent foray into dairy farm ownership in China are tempered by the presence of familiar partners. For its first control deal in China and its first greenfield deal globally,...
MSPEA completes quiet Korea acquisition
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia’s (MSPEA) investment in Ssangyong C&B and Monalisa is like an iceberg: only one sixth was immediately visible. When the deal was first announced earlier this year, the information disclosed concerned a South Korean...
TPG exits a more diversified UT Capital
Property prices in China are inextricably linked to government policy. Vigilant to the emergence of bubbles in different geographies and segments, the authorities are ready with measures to curb price growth, but they must also ensure a sector that contributes...
Burden of compliance
Alternatives fund managers have a mountain to climb, but they are confident of reaching the summit. This, broadly speaking, is the conclusion drawn from State Street's recent global manager survey, in which the regulatory obstacles facing the industry...