Articles by Maya Ando
Woori PE might sell big Kumho Investment stake
Woori Private Equity, the private equity arm of Seoul-headquartered local lender Woori Bank, is reportedly planning on selling its 41.4% share of Kumho Investment Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kumho Asiana Group, the troubled South Korean conglomerate....
RHJ sold partial stake in Japanese auto play U-Shin
RHJ International, the Belgium-based holding company operated by US buyout firm Ripplewood Holdings, has sold about half of its 20% stake in U-Shin, Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer of electrical auto components, for ¥1.9 billion ($20.85 million).
BoA will retain Merrill Asia property funds
Bank of America is no longer selling Merrill Lynch's $2.65 billion Asian property fund business, which the US bank had originally planned to divest among other non-core businesses following its acquisition of Merrill at end 2008 during the financial crisis....
PRC real estate play IFM Investments downsizes IPO
Chinese real estate company IFM Investments Ltd., which operates under a franchise agreement with major US real estate agency Century 21, has reportedly downsized the number of shares it plans to sell in its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange from 16.6...
PRC BPO play iSoftStone attracts VCs
Everbright Private Equity, a subsidiary of listed Chinese red-chip financial conglomerate China Everbright Ltd., and other venture capital firms, including AsiaVest Partners, Fidelity Asia Ventures, Infotech Pacific Ventures, Mitsui Ventures Global Fund,...
KDB eyes Siam City Bank
Korea Development Bank (KDB), South Korea's state-owned bank and private equity investor, has emerged as one of the potential bidders for Siam City Bank, the seventh largest bank in Thailand, which is 47.6% owned by the Thai government.
Bidder may form fund to buy Prudential assets
US life insurance and asset management company Prudential Financial Inc. is seeking buyers for its Korean subsidiaries, Prudential Asset Management and Prudential Investment & Securities, with four or five bidders apparently participating in the auction,...
Bain gets Domino's takeaway
US private equity firm Bain Capital has announced that it will take 100% of Higa Industries Co., the Tokyo-based company that operates Domino’s Pizza in Japan, from the three existing shareholders, including Higa’s founding CEO.
Capital Today hits $183 million first close
Capital Today, the Shanghai-based PRC private equity firm, has held the first close of its second private equity fund on $183 million.
Standard Chartered Private Equity eying two supermarkets in China
Standard Chartered Private Equity has been named as one of the potential bidders for two PRC retail assets, including an 80% stake in Joindoor Hypermarket, a supermarket chain based in Hunan province with about 110 outlets across the region, and 100%...
Citi wants to sell Japanese ski resort
Citigroup is reportedly expecting to sell Niseko ski resort, a popular ski destination in Hokkaido for local and foreign skiers, which the group's Citigroup Principal Investments unit purchased in 2006 as part of a block deal totaling $54 million.
HSBC investee JinkoSolar files for $100 million NYSE IPO
PRC solar company JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. has filed for an NYSE IPO of up to $100 million. The company is partly owned by an affiliate fund of UK lender HSBC.
Ripplewood sells Columbia Music stake for $27.8 million
Ripplewood Holdings will sell a 25.5% stake in Columbia Music Entertainment Co., formerly known as Nippon Columbia Co., a Japanese music company for ￥2.5 billion ($27.8 million).
Northern Light invests $30 million in Chinese outdoor advertising
Chinese early stage-focused VC firm Northern Light Venture Capital (NLVC) has invested $30 million in City Media, a local outdoor advertising company with special strengths in elevator spaces.
Apollo Asia invests $1 million in Sakthi Sugars Ltd
Apollo Asia Opportunity will buy $1 million of shares, or less than 1%, of Sakthi Sugars Ltd., a South India-based sugar maker engaged in the manufacturing of sugar and industrial alcohol, as well as power generation and soybean products.
US BBH deploys partner to Hong Kong
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co (BBH), a US private bank offering specialist private equity services, will relocate its senior partner Andrew J. F. Tucker to Hong Kong in order to develop business in Asia.
India's SMS GupShup shop gets $12 million VC investment
Globespan Captial Partners, a US IT-focused firm, Charles River Ventures, a US early stage venture firm and Helion Venture Partners, an India-focused venture firm, jointly injected $12 million into SMS GupShup, India's largest social network operator....
AXA, Mandra Capital invest online apparel in Japan
AXA Private Equity, the $26 billion private equity arm of AXA Group, and Mandra Capital, a Hong Kong-headquartered investment firm, jointly invested $13 million in Glamour Sales, a members-only French online apparel retail store in Japan.
Darby Overseas invests $33.5 million in PECH
Darby Overseas Investments, the private equity and mezzanine arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, has provided a $ $33.5 million senior secured convertible loan to PECH Holdings, a PRC alternator maker.
Japan's venture market depressed
The Japan Venture Capital Association has reported that venture capital investment made in 2009 fell by about 40% to ￥37.8 billion ($417 million) over 472 deals from one year ago, an even more marked sharp drop compared with 2007, when VCs invested about...
Global cleantech money for Abu Dhabi
The DB Masdar Clean Tech Fund, a private equity fund jointly set up by Abu Dhabi’s energy group Masdar and Deutsche Bank, has raised $265 million for its first close from globally well-known LPs, including Credit Swiss, Siemens, Japan Oil Development...
Archer denies Rebel Sport IPO delay
Australian private equity firm Archer Capital denied reports of delays in its planned exit of its majority-owned investee Rebel Sport Ltd., the largest sports goods shop chain in Australia, through a listing on the Australian Stock Exchange by the end...
Aditya Birla makes $248m first fund close
Mumbai-based Aditya Birla Private Equity, a subsidiary of Indian multinational conglomerate Aditya Birla Group, has raised INR6.75 billion ($148 million) for the first close of its debut fund from domestic LPs, as well as $100 million from its parent...
Carlyle to get Buy The Way?
The Carlyle Group has emerged as one of the potential bidders in the final round of the auction of Buy The Way, a South Korean convenience store chain owned by Asia-focused private equity fund Unitas Capital.