Articles by Tim Burroughs
China’s silent auctions
Numbers alone don't really do justice to China’s post-global financial crisis credit boom, but they are impressive nonetheless. A RMB4 trillion ($633 billion) stimulus package was announced at the end of 2008, bank lending rose nearly 130% over the...
CVC-backed Nine in talks to sell magazine business – reports
CVC Capital Partners-owned Nine Entertainment has held talks with Seven West Media over the potential sale of its ACP magazines division. The funds raised would help pay down some of the beleaguered company’s A$2.7 billion ($2.8 billion) in senior debt...
Goldman Sachs buys minority stake in Mongolian bank
Goldman Sachs has purchased a 4.78% stake in Trade & Development Bank of Mongolia, the country’s oldest bank. The company has previously received investment from Asian Development Bank and International Finance Corp. (IFC).
Warburg Pincus poised to commit $50m to Indian NBFC
Warbug Pincus is closing in on a $50 million investment in Au Financiers, an Indian non-banking financial company. The deal provides a partial exit for existing investor Motilal Oswal Private Equity.
SEC inquiry targets PE asset valuation mechanisms
Private equity firms have been asked to disclose to US regulators information on how they value assets, as well as on areas including fundraising and fund formation, as part of an informal inquiry into the industry. The Securities and Exchange Commission...
VIDEO: CLSA Capital Partners' Christopher Seaver
Why are you still captive? Christopher Seaver, CEO of CLSA Capital Partners, is asked this question by LPs all the time. And the answer is rooted in parent company CLSA’s history as an independent brokerage and research house, albeit with a few investment...
VC-backed Flipkart buys rival Indian e-commerce site
Indian online retailer Flipkart has purchased rival e-commerce platform Letsbuy.com for an estimated $25 million. Both companies are backed by Tiger Global Management and Accel Partners, but no details were disclosed on the structure or value of the transaction.
China tipped to see more NPL deal flow
Bad debts accumulated by China’s state banks have been targeted by distressed asset investors for about a decade, with mixed results. The high-profile auctions of the mid-2000s that attracted the likes of Avenue Capital and Mellon are no more. Foreign...
Catalyst buys Australian resources industry service provider
Australian private equity firm Catalyst Investment Managers has purchased a 49% stake in Morris Corporation, a provider of facilities management and accommodation services to the mining and oil and gas industries. The value of the transaction was not...
CalSTRS considers separate accounts strategy
California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) is considering making separate account commitments to private equity firms. A similar strategy has already been employed by other pension funds like Texas Teachers’ Retirement System and New Jersey...
CDC appoints ex-Actis partner head of direct investment
CDC Group, the UK development finance institution that targets private equity investments in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, has appointed Mark Pay to head up its direct investments division. Pay is rejoining the group, having departed in 2004 as part...
KKR-backed MMI plans $300m high-yield bond issue
MMI International, a KKR portfolio company, plans to issue a $300 million high-yield bond to refinance debts incurred through its 2007 buyout. The move indicates that non-traditional funding channels are opening up for private equity firms at a time when...
PE financing: Lagging leverage
Spooked by wider economic issues, European banks are pulling back from the leveraged buyout market. This presents a further challenge to private equity firms already adjusting to tighter financing conditions
Elara Capital to launch India-focused healthcare fund
Elara Capital, a UK-based financial services company, is in talks with a counterpart in Dubai with a view to launching a private equity fund that will target healthcare investments in Asia and Africa. India will be a particular area of focus given Elara’s...
CIC-backed EIG shuns US to pursue Hong Kong listing
EIG Global Energy Partners, the US-based energy sector specialist, will delist its investment vehicle from Goldman Sachs’ electronic platform and list in Hong Kong.
Yahoo chairman to step down, future of Asian assets unresolved
Yahoo is replacing its chairman and three other directors as it continues to restructure its business, a process that includes the potential spin-out of its Asia-based assets to a consortium comprising Alibaba Group, Softbank and some private equity players.
Wolseley exits Freshmax to Maui Capital
From cattle ranchers to fruit and vegetable farmers, PE interest in Australasia’s agricultural space is wide-ranging. In each case, investors are seeking to leverage the perception, particularly in Asia, that produce from Australia and New Zealand is...
MCap, IDFC invest $20m in ReGen Powertech
Subbu Subramaniam, who spun out from Baring Private Equity Partners India three years ago to form MCap Fund Advisors, has backed ReGen Powertech in his first pure private equity deal. MCap’s previous investments were PIPE deals for companies including...
Yawadwipa targets $750m buyout of Indonesia’s Bank Mutiara
Yawadwipa, the startup Indonesia-focused merchant banking operation that recently unveiled plans for a $1 billion private equity fund, has express an interest in acquiring state-owned PT Bank Mutiara for around $750 million. The price is based on the...
CalSTRS commits $500m to IFM’s infrastructure fund
California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) has committed $500 million to Australia-based fund-of-funds Industry Funds Management (IFM). The capital will be placed in the firm’s Global Infrastructure Fund, which principally targets assets...
Former GKN CEO joins Unitas Capital as partner
Unitas Capital has appointed Sir Kevin Smith as a partner of the firm. Formerly CEO of GKN, a FTSE100-listed global engineering and manufacturing company, Smith will be based in Hong Kong and work closely with existing executives and portfolio companies.
TPG reaches first close of its two RMB funds
TPG Capital has reached a first close of its two China funds, having received commitments of RMB4 billion ($635 million). The private equity firm said that 90% of the capital raised came from private investors rather than government-linked entities. It...
Warburg Pincus, Oak Hill seek exits from Indian BPO firms
Warburg Pincus and Oak Hill Capital Partners are both lining up exits from Indian outsourcing companies listed in the US. WNS plans to offer 10.5 million new and ordinary shares, which would reduce Warburg Pincus’ holding in the company from 47.84%...
China nearly matches Europe for VC funding in 2011
Chinese companies attracted $6 billion in venture capital funding in 2011, up 8% year-on-year, and putting the country at near parity with Europe, which saw commitments of $6.1 billion. On a country basis, the US remains the runaway leader, with VC funding...