Buyouts
Korean PE consortium named preferred bidder for Arrium
A consortium headed by two Korean private equity firms and supported by domestic steelmaker Posco has been selected as the preferred bidder for distressed Australian mining and minerals giant Arrium.
Japan private equity: Heating up
Private equity is seeing more succession planning and corporate carve-out opportunities in Japan, but there is a risk that exuberance might turn irrational
Blackstone completes dividend recap of India's Mphasis
Indian IT services provider Mphasis has issued $500 million in bonds, the proceeds of which will be used to recapitalize its debt and make a dividend payment to majority owners The Blackstone Group and GIC Private.
Q&A: Unison Capital's Tatsuo Kawasaki
Tatsuo Kawasaki, co-founder and partner at Unison Capital, discusses why deal flow is growing in Japan’s middle market – not only in terms of volume, but also in seller type and sector scope
Japan consumer: Beyond borders
Private equity investors see an opportunity in taking advantage of the popularity of Japanese brands in other Asian markets. Making these strategies work requires patience and a tolerance for risk
Japan carve-outs: Chips off the block
Divestment activity by Japanese conglomerates is finally translating into meaningful private equity deal flow, but unwinding people and assets from longstanding parents presents execution challenges
PE-owned Blue Star Sports enters Australia, New Zealand
Blue Star Sports, a US-based company controlled by Genstar Capital that provides management software to grassroots sports clubs, has entered the Australia and New Zealand market with the acquisition of SportsTG.
Carlyle, PEP to pay $930m for Australian pharma player
The Carlyle Group and Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) have finalized an agreement to jointly acquire Australia-based iNova Pharmaceuticals for $930 million in cash.
GPs back $605m take-private of China's SciClone pharmaceuticals
CDH Investments and Ascendent Capital Partners have teamed up with GL Capital and a Bank of China investment unit in a $605 million bid for US-listed Chinese drug developer SciClone Pharmaceuticals.
KKR bids $1.6b for Australian telecom player Vocus
KKR has offered to acquire Vocus Group, one of Australia's leading high-speed broadband internet providers, in a deal worth approximately A$2.1 billion ($1.6 billion).
Japan's Unison buys local bar and restaurant chain
Unison Capital has acquired Dinamix, an operator of Japanese-style bar and restaurants, for an undisclosed sum.
Korean culture plays: Sitting pretty?
Private equity is riding the 'Korean wave' by investing in cultural assets - from music to TV dramas to beauty products – that have international appeal. Success hinges on execution as much as macro trends
PE-owned Australian childcare providers to merge
Camp Australia, an outside school hours care provider acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity in February, has agreed to merge with Junior Adventures Group (JAG), a similar business controlled by Advent Partners.
Future Venture Capital to buy All Nippon Entertainment
Future Venture Capital (FVC) has agreed to acquire Japanese media company All Nippon Entertainment Works (ANEW) from government-owned investor Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ).
Deal focus: Quadrant cashes in on Icon’s growth potential
Quadrant Private Equity agrees a $746 million exit from Icon Group, with new owners QIC, Goldman Sachs and Pagoda Investment keen to continue the cancer specialist's expansion in Asia
Deal focus: IMM seeks to ride the Korean wave
IMM Investment has become the latest private equity firm to buy into the Korean cosmetics story, paying $330 million for a majority stake in Able C&C through a tender offer and the acquisition of shares from the founder
Global PE firms bullish on Vietnam - AVCJ Forum
Global and regional private equity firms are increasingly turning their attentions to Vietnam, reassured by the country’s relative economic stability and impressed by the rising number of investable companies.
China genomics: Coded messages
Investors are looking to tap the massive potential of China’s genomic industry, with a particular focus on companies that leverage large amounts of patient data to support drug development and testing services
CITIC Capital in $600m Australian health acquisition
CITIC Capital China has joined a consortium including China’s Humanwell Healthcare to acquire the sexual health division of Australia-listed medical products supplier Ansell for $600 million.
Portfolio: Samara Capital and Cogencis
Cogencis’ market data terminals have made a strong showing in India against Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters. Now the Samara Capital-backed company is looking to repeat that success worldwide
MBK to buy Modern House from Korea's E-Land for $626m
MBK Partners has agreed to buy Modern House, the household and consumer goods unit of Korean retail giant E-Land Group, for KRW700 billion ($626 million).
Sino-Australian consortium to buy Icon Group from Quadrant
QIC, Goldman Sachs and Pagoda Investment – a China-focused private equity firm set up by a former QIC executive – have agreed to buy Icon Group, an Australian oncology services provider, from Quadrant Private Equity.
Partners Group buys majority stake in SPi from CVC
Partners Group has acquired a majority stake in Philippines-based business process outsourcing (BPO) provider SPi Global from CVC Capital Partners and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) in a deal that values the business at $330 million.
Hynix joins bid for Toshiba's memory chip unit as PE firms circle
South Korean memory chip manufacturer SK Hynix has joined a group that is bidding for Toshiba’s Nand flash memory business amid reports that Bain Capital has submitted an offer of $10 billion for the asset.