Articles by Andrew Woodman
Japan regulation: Taxing tactics
Investors are concerned about the potential repercussions for the economy – and their portfolio companies – of Japan’s staged consumer tax hike. Could it really derail the country’s fragile recovery?
Rabo Equity's India nutrition play
Valued at around INR720 billion ($11.9 billion), India’s pharmaceutical market continues to be a popular destination with private equity investors, but the sector has seen better days. A recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows a tightening regulatory...
Cathay forges Sino-French ties
It is 50 years since France became one of the first European countries to officially recognize the People’s Republic of China. The anniversary of that event was marked in Paris last month by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Francois...
Japan Industrial Partners exits Yutaka Electric
Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) has exited electrical component manufacturer Yutaka Electric to GlassOne, a manufacturer of touch screen panels for tablets and smart phones.
India's Avendus, Zodius launch $500m tech fund
Indian financial services company Avendus Capital has partnered with PE firm Zodius Capital to launch a $500 million fund targeting technology companies.
Blackstone's Asia head Michael Chae to return to New York
Michael Chae, head of international private equity at The Blackstone Group, will move back to New York after a four-year stint in Hong Kong.
India Infoline buys majority stake in PE firm India Alternatives
IIFL Wealth Management, a listed unit of India Infoline (IIFL) Group which is in turn backed by The Carlyle Group, has acquired a majority stake in PE firm India Alternatives Investment Advisors.
Temasek invests $40m in India's StarAgri
Temasek Holdings has invested INR2.5 billion ($40 million) in Indian agri-services provider Star Agriwarehousing and Collateral Management.
SAIF-backed Indian retail platform HomeShop18 files for US IPO
HomeShop18, an Indian television shopping network and online market place backed by SAIF Partners and OCP Asia, has filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.
Baring Asia targets $3b for Fund VI
Baring Private Equity Asia will seek to raise around $3 billion for its sixth pan-regional fund, its largest vehicle to date.
Templeton to raise $100m India PE fund
Franklin Templeton is looking to raise up to INR6 billion ($100 million) for its second India-focused private equity fund.
IFC to invest $85m in PepsiCo's India bottler
International Finance Corporation (IFC) is investing $85 million in Varun Beverages, the largest South Asian bottler for soft drinks giant PepsiCo.
Everstone invests $16m in India fashion house
Everstone Capital has invested INR1 billion ($16.6 million) in Indian fashion label RituKumar in return for an undisclosed minority stake.
KKR, Affinity complete Oriental Brewery exit
KKR and Affinity Equity Partners have completed their exit of Korea's Oriental Brewery (OB) to previous owner Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) for $5.8 billion.
LP interview: Oregon State Treasury
Andy Hayes, PE investment officer at the Oregon State Treasury (OST), has been managing his fund’s Asian investments for nearly six years. The role is as much about networks as it is know-how
ChrysCapital in cross-border IT play
LiquidHub might be described as characteristic of all ChrysCapital’s investments in the IT segment, yet at the same time the US and India-based digital consultancy represents the complete reverse of any other deal the PE firm has done.
EQT scans I-Med opportunity
When EQT made its first move to acquire Australian radiology provider I-Med, the first challenge was to build trust with the company’s management. The business had already been through a number of financial investors’ hands and it had not been an altogether...
India film funding: Bollywood bets
The rapid growth of India’s movie industry is drawing in private equity investors looking for exposure all along the value chain. Those unable to stomach the risk will aim for distribution rather than production
Wolfensohn part exits India's Repco
Wolfensohn Capital has made a partial exit from India Repco Home Finance, a little over a year after it first invested in the company.
Jafco invests $2m in Japan leisure booking site
Globis Capital Partners and Jafco Ventures have invested JPY200 million ($1.95 million) in Catarizm, the Japanese start-up behind online leisure booking site Asoview.
Fidelity, Gree invest $5m in Japan's Kaizen Platform
Fidelity Growth Partners and Gree Ventures have together invested $5 million in Japan's Kaizen Platform, the start-up behind PlanBCD, a platform that crowd-sources web design services.
KDDI incubator announces five start-ups for new program
KDDI Mugen Labo, an incubator backed by Japanese telecoms giant KDDI, has revealed the next batch of five start-ups to enter its boot camp program.
Japan flea market app raises $14m for US expansion
Mercari, the Japanese start-up behind the mobile flea market app of the same name, has raised JPY1.45 billion ($14.1 million) from Global Brain, Globis Capital Partners, Itochu Technology Venture, GMO Venture Partners, and other unnamed investors.
Japan's Cyberdyne raises $89 million in Tokyo IPO
Cyberdyne, a VC-backed Japanese robotics company that makes exoskeleton suits, more than doubled on its Tokyo trading debut following a JPY7.8 billion ($76 million) IPO on the MOTHERS (market of the high-growth and emerging stocks) section of the Tokyo...