Timeline: 2018 by numbers

JANUARY 

$4.6b – Brookfield Asset Management agrees to buy nuclear power unit from Japan’s Toshiba Corporation in $4.6 billion deal

$400m – China’s IC Fund agrees to buy 19% of local chip maker Hua Hong Semiconductor for $400 million

$1.2b – Alibaba’s Ant Financial abandons $1.2 billion acquisition of PE-backed MoneyGram 

4 – Affinity Equity Partners closes its fifth pan-Asian fund at $6 billion after four months in the market

$1.3b – Orchid Asia closes its seventh fund at $1.3 billion, having targeted $900 million 

$1b – Renault, Nissan Motor and Mitsubishi Motors launch a $1 billion automotive VC fund 

$621m – Warburg Pincus and Sequoia Capital join a $621 million Series A for Chinese apartment rental service provider Ziroom

$1.7b – KKR joins $1.7 billion investment in listed Indian financial institution HDFC

$520m – Affinity Equity Partners buys Hong Kong garment label maker Trimco from Partners Group for $520 million

$450m – AlpInvest Partners leads $450 million secondary investment in Southern Capital Group’s second fund with a stapled commitment to the GP’s latest Southeast Asia vehicle

$450m – SBI Investment launches a $450 million fund that will focus on artificial intelligence and blockchain 

57x – Mekong Capital completes a staged exit of Vietnam’ mobile phone retailer Mobile World securing an overall return of 57x

$1.1b – Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance form a $1.1 billion joint asset management company to make direct PE investments

FEBRUARY

$2.2b – SoftBank Vision Fund, International Digital Group and SBI Group invest $2.2 billion across three technology businesses under Ping An Insurance Group 

$5.5b – Baring Private Equity Asia launches its seventh pan-regional fund with a target of $5.5 billion

$318m – China’s Baidu Ventures reaches a first close of $318 million on fund focused on artificial intelligence 

$1.6b – PE-owned GLP establishes a $1.6 billion China fund with China Life Insurance as the sole LP

$793m – Rechargeable battery maker Farasis Energy raises a $793 million round led by the China Venture Capital Association

$2b –Hopu Investments reaches a first close of $2 billion on its third US dollar-denominated China fund

$2.5b – JD.com’s logistics unit raises $2.5 billion from a group including Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia Capital China

$357m – China’s NDE Capital reaches a third close on its second fund with $357 million in commitments

$2b – Alibaba and a group of PE investors buy 36% of Beijing Easyhome Furnishing in a $2 billion deal

$580m – US regulators block Sino IC Capital’s $580 million offer to acquire chip maker Xcerra

MARCH

$5b – KKR joins a Series E round for Indonesia’s Go-Jek that values the company at more than $5 billion

$2.8b – Toyota Group establishes a Japan-based program to invest $2.8 billion in autonomous driving 

$818m – China auto services provider Chehaoduo raises a $818 million round led by Tencent

$462m – Tencent backs a $462 million round for Huya, a VC-backed games subsidiary of China’s YY

$866m – China bike-sharing start-up Ofo raises a $866 million round led by Alibaba 

$2b – Alibaba agrees to invest an additional $2 billion in PE-backed online retailer Lazada 

$1.7b – HarbourVest Partners closes its latest fund-of-funds targeting Europe and Asia at $1.7 billion

$1b – Bain Capital Credit and Piramal Enterprises launch a $1 billion joint venture focused on Indian distressed assets

164 – A government report reveals China has 164 unicorns worth a collective $628.4 billion

$1.4b – Yunfeng Capital and Alibaba agree to buy iKang Healthcare Group at a valuation of $1.4 billion

$475m – Matrix Partners China and Shougang Fund lead a $475 million round for Chinese electric vehicle maker CHJ Automotive

$1.4b – Japan Industrial Partners closes the offshore portion of its latest fund, with the overall total – including onshore and offshore pieces – expected to reach $1.4 billion

$483m – Bilibili, a VC-backed Chinese video streaming platform, raises $483 million in a US IPO

$2.2b – EMR Capital and Indonesia’s Adaro Energy agree to buy an Australia coal mine for $2.2 billion

$2.2b – iQiyi Sports, a PE-backed video streaming company in China, raises $2.2 billion in a US IPO

APRIL

$3.3b – Australia’s Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets closes its second Asia-focused infrastructure fund at $3.3 billion

11x – Joy Capital makes an 11x multiple on its investment in Mobike as Meituan-Dianping buys the bike-sharing company for $2.7 billion

$9.5b – Alibaba agrees to take full control of Chinese food delivery player Ele.me in a $9.5 billion deal

$600m – A $600 million round for China’s SenseTime is said to be the largest-ever fundraise by an artificial intelligence company globally

$770m – CHAMP Private Equity agrees to sell Accolade Wines to The Carlyle Group for $770 million

$3.1b – Sequoia Capital targets a combined fundraise of $3.1 billion across a number of China and India fund

$1.4b –Qiming Venture Partners closes two China VC funds and a US healthcare fund with $1.4 billion in aggregate commitments 

$4.5b – PAG Asia Capital launches its third pan-regional fund with a target of $4.5 billion

$717m – Alibaba agrees to invest $717 million in Huitongda Network, a PE-backed online retailer focused on rural China

$992m – Warburg Pincus-backed Techcombank raises $922 million in Vietnam’s biggest IPO to date

$14.6b – Providence Equity Partners-backed Indus Towers agrees to merge with KKR-backed Bharti Infratel to create an Indian telecom giant worth $14.6 billion

$3.1b – A group of PE investors led by BGH Capital offers to acquire Australia’s Healthscope at a valuation of $3.1 billion, but the bid is rejected

$1.9b – SoftBank Group leads a $1.9 round for Chinese trucking logistics player Manbang

$1.9b – TPG Capital and The Carlyle Group lead a $1.9 billion round for a financial services spin-out of China’s Baidu 

MAY

$1.1b – Ping An Healthcare & Technology – operator of the Ping An Good Doctor app – goes public in Hong Kong with a $1.1 billion IPO

1st – Drug developer Ascletis is the first to list in Hong Kong under new rules that allow zero-revenue biotech companies to go public 

21% – National Australia Bank confirms it will sell MLC, operator of the country’s largest retail superannuation fund, after posting a 21% decline in profit for the half-year

$5b – Tencent leads an $820 million round for Chinese humanoid robot maker Ubtech at a valuation of $5 billion

$2b – Australia-based GP BGH Capital closes its debut fund at the hard cap of $2 billion

$16b –Walmart agrees to pay $16 billion for a 77% stake in Indian e-commerce business Flipkart

$2.7b – The Carlyle Group agrees to sell Korean security business ADT Caps at a valuation of $2.7 billion

$1.2b – India’s Fortis Healthcare receives bids from PE firms that value the company at around $1.2 billion

$17.8b – Bain Capital completes Asia’s biggest ever PE-backed deal by enterprise value with a $17.8 billion buyout of Japan’s Toshiba Memory Corporation

$76.5b – Japan Post Bank plans to grow its alternatives portfolio fivefold in three years to $76.5 billion, about 23% of which will be allocated to PE

$4.5b – PE firms back a $620 million round that values Chinese artificial intelligence developer SenseTime at more than $4.5 billion

$4.3b – A PE fund backed by China’s State Development & Investment Corporation invests a manufacturing unit of Foxconn Technology Group as part of a $4.3 billion Shanghai IPO

$1.5b – Primavera Capital Group completes a first close of about $1.5 billion on its third China fund targeting $2.8 billion

1st – Pakistan-based Ijara Capital Partners acquires 100% of Quick Foods Industries, marking the first deal by a locally licensed PE fund

JUNE

$14b – Ant Financial, Alibaba’s financial services affiliate, raises $14 billion from a group of PE and strategic investors

1st – TPG Capital makes its first foray into secondaries by taking a minority stake in Asia-focused NewQuest Capital Partners

$1b – The Blackstone Group agrees to sell India’s Intelenet Global Services to a European strategic for $1 billion

4 – The Abraaj Group appoints liquidators to restructure the firm four months after an LP-driven audit exposed concerns of misuse of funds and unpaid debts

$1.4b – Australian medical device maker Sirtex Medical accepts a $1.4 billion buyout offer from China’s CDH Investments

$10b – Toyota agrees to contribute $1 billion in a funding round for Grab that values the Southeast Asian ride-hailing company at about $10 billion

$2.3b – The Blackstone Group closes its maiden Asia-focused PE fund at $2.3 billion

$6.5b – The Carlyle Group closes its fifth Asia buyout fund at $6.5 billion, exceeding its predecessor by more than 65%

$1b – Centurium Capital, a PE firm established by ex-Warburg Pincus China head David Li, reaches a $1 billion first close on its debut fund 

$800m – China Renaissance Holdings files for an IPO in Hong Kong that aims to raise $800 million at a valuation of $4-5 billion

$4.6b – The Beijing government launches a $4.6 billion technology fund-of-funds for local and overseas investments

$750m – Matrix Partners China raises $750 million for its fifth VC fund to invest in various technology sectors

78% – Australia-listed Sirtex Medical accepts a $1.4 billion buyout offer from CDH Investments and China Grand Pharma, at a 78% premium to its latest closing price

$521m – World Innovation Lab raises $521 million for a US-Japan VC fund

JULY

$694m – Unitas Capital agrees to sell Chinese condiments producer Jiahao Foodstuff to a strategic buyer for $694.5 million

$487m – Telstra Ventures and HarbourVest Partners launch a $487 million fund targeting US and Asian technology companies 

$4.7b – Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi raises $4.7 billion in its Hong Kong IPO

$175m – Lightspeed Venture Partners closes its second India-focused fund at $175 million

$558m – Denham Capital closes its first global mining fund at $558 million to invest in Australia, Canada, South America, and Africa

$250m – China-focused VC fund-of-funds Unicorn Capital Partners closes its second fund at $250 million

$1b – Chinese coffee shop chain Luckin Coffee raises a $200 million Series A round that values it at $1 billion

$300m – Chinese VC firm Longzhu Capital, founded by Meituan-Dianping, closes debut fund at $300 million

$500m – Travel site operator Booking Holdings invests $500 million in Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing

7 – KKR agrees to buy Taiwan’s LCY Chemical for $1.6 billion in its first attempted privatization deal in the jurisdiction in seven years

$4.2b – TPG Capital, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and India’s UPL acquire Arysta LifeScience for $4.2 billion

$500m – US co-working space operator WeWork raises a $500 million round for its China unit from investors including Temasek Holdings and SoftBank Group

$1.6b – Pinduoduo, a Chinese social e-commerce company backed by several PE firms raises $1.6 billion in a US IPO

AUGUST

$294m – Legend Capital and Huaxing Healthcare Fund lead a $294 million investment in Chinese diagnostics business Beijing Kemei

$897m – Chinese electric car maker Xpeng Motors finalizes a Series B round of $897 million

$2.5b – Yunfeng Capital closes its third US dollar-denominated fund at $2.5 billion

$1.3b – TPG Capital and MBK Partners agree to sell Wharf T&T to Hong Kong Broadband Network at a $1.3 billion enterprise valuation

$1.2b – EMR Capital and Farallon Capital agree to exit Indonesia’s Martabe gold and silver mine at a $1.2 billion valuation

60% – KKR agrees to buy a 60% stake in Indian environmental services provider Ramky Enviro Engineers for $530 million

$300m – Matrix Partners raises $300 million for its third India-focused VC fund 

$621m – Goldman Sachs and TPG Capital commit $621 million in senior debt financing and capital to Singaporean data center provider AirTrunk

$695m – Sequoia Capital India closes its sixth fund at $695 million, surpassing a target of $675 million

$2.1b – Quadrant Energy agrees to a $2.1 billion buyout, facilitating exits for Brookfield Asset Management and Macquarie Capital

3 – Crescent Capital Partners closes its sixth Australia and New Zealand fund at $586 million after three months in the market

$590m – China Biologic Products raises $590 million from investors including Centurium Capital, CITIC Capital, and Hillhouse Capital

$2.5b – Sequoia Capital closes its latest China funds with $2.5 billion in commitments for growth, venture and seed strategies 

SEPTEMBER

51% – AustralianSuper and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board join a consortium to acquire a 51% stake in Sydney’s WestConnex highway system for $6.7 billion

$576m – Primavera Capital Group and Morningside Ventures lead a $576 million funding round for Chinese car buying platform Souche

$2b – MBK Partners agrees to sell its majority stake in Orange Life Insurance for $2 billion

$7b – Infrastructure-focused PE firm I Squared Capital closes its second global fund at $7 billion

$400m – Temasek Holdings agrees to invest up to $400 million in India’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund

$2b – Singapore warehouse operator GLP joins GIC Private for a $2 billion logistics fund focused on China

5% – Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio sees its stock gain 5% on debut following a $1 billion US IPO

$450m – Chinese car services platform Tuhu raises a $450 million round from investors including Tencent Holdings, The Carlyle Group, and Sequoia Capital

$600m – Silver Lake invests $600 million in AMC Entertainment Holdings, a US cinema chain owned by China’s Dalian Wanda Group

$364m – Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) invests INR26.4 billion ($364 million) in the Indian subsidiary of China’s CLP Holdings

$10.6b – Hillhouse Capital closes its latest global fund with $10.6 billion in commitments

$4.2b – Chinese online-to-offline services platform Meituan-Dianping raises $4.2 billion in its Hong Kong IPO

$436m – AGIC Capital exits Italian robotics supplier Gimatic to US-based Barnes Group for $436 million

$1.2b – Korean auto parts maker Hanon Systems, owned by Hahn & Company, agrees a $1.2 billion bolt-on acquisition

OCTOBER

6 – NewQuest Capital Partner and Committed Advisors commit $175 million to a fund that will acquire the six portfolio companies of Singapore’s Basil Partners

$426m – Adams Street Partners closes its global early-stage fund-of-funds at $426 million

$450m – Avenue Capital raises a $450 million vehicle to invest in special situations opportunities across Asia

$318m – Tencent Holdings agrees to invest $318 million in VC-backed Chinese animation streaming platform Bilibili

79% – Hahn & Company acquires a 79% stake in Korean shipping operator SK Shipping for $3.7 billion

$812m – Shaw Kwei & Partners closes its fourth fund at $812 million for investments in the industrial, manufacturing, and services sectors in Asia

$1b – Chinese GP Morningside Venture Capital closes its latest fund at about $1 billion

$1.9b – GGV Capital reaches $1.9 billion in total commitments for its latest venture fund across four vehicles

$440m – Morgan Stanley Privat Equity Asia closes its first Thailand-focused fund with more than $440 million, beating the $300 million target

$7.1b – KKR-owned Japanese car parts maker Calsonic Kansei Corporation agrees to buy Fiat Chrysler’s components business for $7.1 billion

$325m – Motilal Oswal Private Equity closes its third growth equity fund at $325 million

$1.8b – Bessemer Venture Partners reaches a final close of $1.8 billion for its latest global early-stage VC fund

NOVEMBER

$421m – PE-backed Chinese cancer drug developer Innovent Biologics raises $421 million in its Hong Kong IPO

$698m – Australian pet care company Greencross agrees to a take-private offer by TPG Capital at an enterprise valuation of $698 million

$1.2b – Chinese VC firm Shunwei Capital Partners closes its fourth US dollar-denominated fund at $1.2 billion

$525m – The Rohatyn Group agrees to exit Korean restaurant chain BHC Group to its founder at a reported valuation of $525 million

$478m – Malaysia’s government allocates $478 million to a scheme that will match investments made in the country by PE and VC funds

$6b – PAG Asia Capital closes its third pan-regional fund at the hard cap of $6 billion

$274m – In its first investment, China’s BMC Europe Fund acquires German textiles maker Cordenka for $274 million

$420m – HarbourVest Partners leads a secondary transaction worth about $420 million that will role a company from Capital Today China Group’s first fund into a new vehicle

$2b – SoftBank Vision Fund commits $2 billion to Korean e-commerce business Coupang

$207m – Tencent-backed Chinese online travel services company Tongcheng-Elong raises $207 million in its Hong Kong IPO

$1.4b – GIC Private forms a joint venture with Australia’s Dexus to invest $1.4 billion in Australian logistics properties

$356m – ACE Equity Partners acquires Korean display maker Daeho Technology Korea for $356 million

DECEMBER

16% – FountainVest Partners agrees to take an approximately 16% stake in Finland-listed Amer Sports as part of a $5.2 billion tender offer that also includes Anta Sports and Tencent 

$400m – Värde Partners closes its debut Asia-focused credit fund with about $400 million in commitments

$366m – KKR agrees to invest up to $366 million in Singapore lifestyle and wellness products company V3 Group

$500m – Chinese VC firm Gaorong Capital reaches a $500 million final close on its fourth US dollar-denominated fund 

$427m – PE-backed resort operator Fosun Tourism Group raises $427 million in its Hong Kong IPO

$1b – Lexington Partners leads a $1 billion deal acquiring LP positions in TPG Capital’s fifth and sixth Asia funds while providing capital to a new TPG fund

$320m – Hopu Investment Management leads a $320 million funding round for Chinese logistics technology developer G7

$903m – Baring Private Equity Asia agrees a two-stage revitalization plan with Japan’s Pioneer Corporation that will see it invest $903 million

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Save this article  
• Send to  

• Topics
• Fundraising
• Buyouts
• Expansion
• Exits
• Asia