Articles by Tim Burroughs
VC-backed Chinese children’s clothing retailer signs Disney deal
Greenbox, a venture capital-backed Chinese online retailer specializing in children’s clothes, has agreed to integrate Disney brands into its product lines. The Chinese company will design clothing lines inspired by Disney franchises including Mickey...
Sino-Forest expected to default on $1.3b in debt
Sino-Forest, the Toronto-listed Chinese timber firm whose chairman and CEO resigned on Sunday after regulators expressed concerns about fraudulent activity, is expected to default on its $1.3 billion of debt.
India’s Reliance Broadcast in talks with prospective PE investors
Reliance Broadcast Network is in talks with private equity investors over the sale of INR4 billion ($87 million) in preferential shares. Asheesh Chatterjee, Reliance’s CFO, told The Wall Street Journal that the company hopes to reach agreements by the...
Bank of America expected to exit over half its CCB stake this week
Bank of America (BofA) is on course to sell more than half its stake in China Construction Bank (CCB) for up to $10 billion this week. A consortium of Asian and Middle East sovereign wealth funds as well as several private equity firms are in negotiations...
Sino-Forest CEO resigns as regulator expresses fraud concerns
The chairman and CEO of Sino-Forest has resigned and three employees have been temporarily suspended after the Ontario Securities Commission said the company may have misrepresented its revenue statements and exaggerated its timber holdings. It added...
China’s Zhongpin seen as potential PE target
Chinese pork processor Zhongpin has been tipped as a potential target for private equity investors. Tim Tiberio, an analyst at Chardan Capital Markets, said that the long-term opportunity for consolidation in China’s food processing industry “is too...
India’s SREI targets $1b infrastructure fund
SREI Infrastructure Finance plans to raise a $1 billion private equity fund to invest in areas such as roads, power and ports.
Property developer Banyan Tree seeks more PE funding
Singapore-based luxury-resort developer Banyan Tree Holdings is looking to raise more funds from private equity as it pushes ahead with plans to build high-end homes in second- and third-tier cities in China.
CNOOC anchors PE fund targeting Asian energy assets
China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) has formed a strategic partnership with Kerogen Capital, which is raising a $1.5 billion private equity fund that will target energy investments in Asia.
GIC confirms death of Mayukh Mitter
Mayukh Mitter, head of the direct investment group for Asia, ex-China, at the Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC), has died. According to reports, he suffered a fatal heart attack on the morning of August 15. Mitter’s office confirmed his...
Switzerland’s SIFEM converts into a development finance institution
SIFEM, a Swiss fund-of-funds investor active in Asia since the 1990s, has been acquired by the government’s Swiss Confederation division and will now operate as a development finance institution.
Australian VC firms back Spinifex Pharmaceuticals
GBS Venture Partners, Brandon Capital Partners, Uniseed Management and UniQuest have participated in the Series B round of financing for Spinifex Pharmaceuticals. The Australian drug development company raised a total of $19 million, $6.5 million more...
Baring India, IDFC anchor TD Power Systems’ IPO
Baring India Private Equity and IDFC are two of five anchor investors that have together committed INR334 million ($7.2 million) to TD Power Systems ahead of its IPO. The company, which manufacturers AC generators, counts Ironwood Investment Holdings,...
PEP, Unitas exit Independent Liquor to Asahi
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Unitas Capital last week agreed to sell New Zealand beverage firm Independent Liquor to Japan’s Asahi Group for NZ$1.525 billion ($1.27 billion). The private equity firms secured a 1.5x return on their original NZ$1.2...
Lexington eyes bumper deal flow
Brent Nicklas founded Lexington Partners in 1994 and currently serves as managing partner, overseeing private equity secondary and co-investment funds. He discusses global opportunities for secondary investors
Secondaries: The direct approach
The product of a secondary investment itself, Bank of America Merrill Lynch spinout NewQuest Capital has now set out its stall as Asia’s first direct secondary fund
Secondaries in Asia: Small beginnings
Global secondary investors are opening offices and forging relations in Asia, waiting for the trickle of deals to evolve into a healthy flow
Groupon’s China JV closes offices, fires staff
GaoPeng, the Chinese group buying site run as a joint venture between Groupon, Tencent Holdings and local private equity firm Yunfeng Capital, has closed offices in some cities and is laying off employees. Sources familiar with the situation told The...
Australian tax authorities win right to pursue TPG over Myer
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) was won court orders to help it trace overseas funds that were distributed following TPG’s IPO exit from Myer, The Australian reported.
Qantas dismisses private equity takeover talk as speculation
Australian airline Qantas said Wednesday that it had received no approaches from prospective buyers but acknowledged rumors that private equity firms are interested in the business. "As far as we are concerned there is no formal or informal bid on the...
BofAML to retain at least 5% of its CCB holding
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) has agreed to extend its partnership with China Construction Bank (CCB) until the at least the end of 2012. Zhang Jianguo, president of CCB, said the US bank, which currently has a 10% stake in the Chinese lender,...
Apollo may exit Parallel Petroleum to Korea’s Samsung C&T
Apollo Global Management could be on course to exit Parallel Petroleum after South Korean trading firm Samsung C&T said it was interested in purchasing the US asset. The deal is slated to be worth about KRW1 trillion ($919.6 million), Reuters reported,...
Ascent Capital commits $45m to Karaikal Port expansion
Ascent Capital will inject $45 million into Karaikal Port as part of an INR7 billion ($153 million) expansion plan that will see a six-fold increase in the port’s capacity to 28 million metric tons. This is the port’s second round of private equity...
PE-backed Muthoot Finance seeks to raise $218m
Muthoot Finance, India’s largest gold-loan non-banking finance company (NBFC) plans to raise INR10 billion ($218 million) through the issue of listed retail non-convertible debentures (NCDs). It would follow four rival NBFCs, including Mannapuram Finance...