Articles by Tim Burroughs
India’s alternative lenders
Non-banking finance companies are becoming increasingly significant in India’s financial sector. Foreign private equity firms are keen to get involved, but how does this fit into their wider strategies?
GIC reaches agreement with Paulson & Co. over hotel assets
Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC) has reached a settlement with MSR Resorts, a hotel group owned by hedge fund Paulson & Co. Under the settlement, which was approved by a US bankruptcy court judge on Tuesday, GIC will cease its near-term...
TPG, Farallon linked to GTL Infrastructure acquisition
TPG Capital and Farallon Capital are among the private equity investors interested in telecom tower business GTL Infrastructure. Sources told The Economic Times that a PE-led consortium of telecom player is the most likely buyer of the company, which...
Clove Capital targets $250m Southeast Asia growth fund
Clove Capital Partners, a spin out from EMP Global’s Asia business, plans to raise a $250 million growth capital fund that will target mid-size companies in Southeast Asia. It will principally focus on Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, with Malaysia...
Northstar closes in on fourth deal for $820m third fund
Northstar Pacific is poised to secure a fourth deal for Northstar Equity Partners III, which recently reached a final close of $820 million. The four transactions are expected to account for around 20% of the fund’s corpus, a source familiar with the...
CVC considers US bond issue to cover Nine Entertainment debt
CVC Asia Pacific may service Nine Entertainment’s A$3.5 billion ($3.7 billion) in debt by raising more debt from private investors in the US. It is thought that a “144A” bond issue would raise $500 million to $1 billion that would go toward reducing...
Former CalPERS manager sets up legacy asset consultancy
A former senior portfolio manager at CalPERS has launched a company focused on helping institutional investors maximize value from non-core and underperforming legacy alternative investments.
GVK seeks PE investors in Australia coal assets
GVK is in talks with several global financial institutions, including private equity firms, with a view to selling minority stakes in Australian mining assets it recently acquired from Hancock for $1.3 billion. The Indian infrastructure group needs to...
Chinese regulators call for clampdown on VIE investment structures
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has issued an internal report asking the State Council to take action against the variable interest entity (VIE) structure that underpins much foreign investment in the country.
CII calls for alterations to SEBI's proposed PE regulations
Private equity funds should be allowed to invest up to 33.33% of their corpus in equity and debt instruments of listed companies, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has said. The group thinks this condition provides necessary flexibility to private...
IL&FS looks to raise $900m across three funds
IL&FS Investment Managers (IIML) is looking to raise up to $900 million across three funds, but the fundraising process is expected to take longer than usual as a result of tighter risk assessment among investors globally.
CIC, KIC chairmen named to high-profile RDIF advisory board
The chairman of China Investment Corp. (CIC), Lou Jiwei, has been named to the international advisory board of the Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Choi Chong Suk, chairman of Korea Investment Corp. (KIC), will also serve on the board alongside Bader...
Mumbai metals trader seeks PE investment
Ushdev International, a Mumbai-based metals trader and wind farm operator, is seeking to raise $20-40 million from private equity investors. Managing Director Prateek Gupta said the company is in talks with a couple of PE firms about the possibility of...
New Horizon-backed Sinovel faces legal action over alleged IP theft
Sinovel Wind Group, a Chinese turbine manufacturer part-owned by New Horizon Capital, faces legal action from American Superconductor Corp. (AMSC) after one of its employees was jailed for stealing intellectual property and selling it to the Chinese firm....
Softbank invests $200m in mobile ad network InMobi
Softbank Corp. has invested $200 million in InMobi, which claims to be the world’s largest independent mobile advertising network. The Japanese telecom firm will invest in two tranches of $100 million, one due this month and the other due in April 2012.
Russia’s SWF assembles core management team
The Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has assembled its core management team with the appointment of five directors, a legal counsel and an adviser.
Archer, Ironbridge consider iNova Pharmaceuticals sale
Archer Capital and Ironbridge are looking to sell iNova Pharmaceuticals for A$700-850 million ($714-878 million). The private equity firms have appointed Greenhill Caliburn to advise on the sale process and would like to have a deal in place by the end...
Temasek, QIA back Citic Securities’ $1.9b IPO
Temasek Holdings and the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) are among seven cornerstone investors that have together committed $850 million to Citic Securities’ Hong Kong IPO. The company, China’s largest brokerage by market value, is seeking to raise...
PE bid for Yahoo complicated by Asia business interests
Yahoo’s 40% stake in Chinese B2B platform Alibaba Group and its 35% holding in Yahoo Japan have emerged as key elements of any potential private equity bid for the US internet company.
Fosun, Prudential announce insurance joint venture
Chinese financial conglomerate Fosun Group and Prudential Financial have announced their life insurance joint venture, the first such partnership between Chinese and foreign parties since 2008. Fosun and Prudential – known outside the US as Pramerica...
IAC’s Match.com invests in Chinese dating website
IAC-owned Match.com has purchased a 20% stake in Chinese dating website Zhenai Inc. Details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
RRJ invests in Chinese diaper manufacturer – report
RRJ Capital, the private equity firm set up former Goldman Sachs and Hopu Investment luminary Richard Ong, has teamed up with CK Life Sciences to invest $80 million in Chinese baby diaper manufacturer AAB, Reuters reported, citing a source with direct...
Indian property developers turn to private equity
Indian property developers will borrow about $1 billion from private equity funds this fiscal year as banks cut back on lending, according to Knight Frank. PE funding to the sector came to INR12 billion ($252 million) in the last three months and the...
SBI, Kingston form $100m Greater China fund
Japan’s SBI Holdings will launch a $100 million fund with Hong Kong-based Kingston Financial Group that will invest in public and private companies in Greater China. Each party has agreed to contribute $50 million to the vehicle, which will be launched...