Investments
Chinese IPOs: One less option
Will Chinese companies listed in the US become the latest casualties of tensions between the two countries? It could lead to a narrowing in IPO exit options for PE and VC investors
Deal focus: Yidui delivers love by video
Sky9 Capital and Xiaomi have thrown their support behind a Chinese video-dating platform designed for Generation Z, complete with virtual meeting rooms, live audiences, and mechanisms for crashing other people's dates
SCB 10X, Sparx lead $80m round for Thai fintech player
Thailand-based financial technology provider Synqa, formerly known as Omise, has raised an $80 million Series C round led by local VC firm SCB 10X and Japan’s Sparx Group.
Chinese car parts supplier Casstime raises $50m
Chinese aftermarket car parts supplier Casstime has raised $50 million in the second tranche of Series C round led by Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments.
Five V buys New Zealand software developer
Australian private equity firm Five V Capital has acquired a controlling stake in New Zealand employee management software provider Totara for an undisclosed sum.
China logistics robot specialist raises $200m Series C
Geek+, a manufacturer of robots used to move merchandise around warehouses, has closed a Series C funding round, having raised $200 million across two tranches.
Carlyle invests $198m in Korea's KB Financial
The Carlyle Group has invested KRW240 billion ($198 million) in KB Financial Group and agreed to work with the Korean company on investment opportunities and structuring and financing its deals in the country.
A91 invests $16m in India spices maker
India’s A91 Partners has invested INR1.2 billion ($16.4 million) in local spices and condiments brand Pushp.
India's Jio Platforms set for record Asia growth capital fundraise
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has agreed to invest INR113.6 billion ($1.5 billion) in India’s Jio Platforms. This takes its overall funding to INR1.15 trillion, the largest single growth capital haul for an Asian technology company.
Deal focus: Indonesia's GoPlay changes the channel
Golden Gate Ventures is backing GoPlay, a media streaming spin-out from Indonesia's GoJek, to tap an underserved Southeast Asian audience with local recreations of popular international TV shows
Japan's Daiwa backs Vietnam cinema operator
Japan’s Daiwa Securities Group has invested $8 million in Vietnam cinema chain operator Beta Media via its private equity unit.
Mercury buys Bauer Media's Australia, New Zealand assets
Sydney-based private equity firm Mercury Capital has agreed to acquire the Australia and New Zealand assets of Germany’s Bauer Media, including an extensive magazine portfolio.
Chinese cloud player Qiniu gets $141m Series F
Chinese enterprise cloud service provider Qiniu Cloud has raised RMB1 billion ($141 million) in Series F funding from the state-owned China Structural Reform Fund, Bocom International, and Hongzhao Fund.
China's Miaoshou Doctor raises $85m
Miaoshou Doctor, a Chinese online healthcare services platform, has raised RMB600 million ($85 million) in the first tranche of Series D funding round backed by the likes of Qiming Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital China, Ince Capital Partners, CITIC...
KKR, Temasek commit $650m to Vietnam property developer
A consortium led by KKR has invested VND15.1 trillion ($650 million) in Vinhomes, Vietnam’s leading integrated real estate developer, which went public in 2018.
Deal focus: Korean start-up disrupts the laundry
Korean on-demand laundry service Laundrygo will use its Series B funding to widen coverage within Seoul and improve automation levels at its facilities to further boost margins
Asia secondaries: Waiting for the flood
Secondary investors expect deal flow to rebound strongly once there is more certainty on valuations. In Asia, the opportunity will be larger and more nuanced than the post-global financial crisis frenzy
Singapore's One Championship raises $70m
One Championship, a Singapore-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization backed by Sequoia Capital India, has raised $70 million in funding.
Chinese AI chip maker Biren raises $155m Series A
Biren Technology, a nine-month-old Chinese smart chip design company, has raised RMB1.1 billion ($155 million) in Series A funding led by Qiming Venture Partners, IDG Capital and Walden International.
Sequoia joins $21m Series A for Philippines digital bank
Sequoia Capital India and US-based Point72 Ventures have led a $21 million Series A round for Tonik, a Singapore-based digital bank launching initial operations in the Philippines.
PE investors agree $8.7b take-private of China's 58.com
58.com, China’s leading online classifieds marketplace, has agreed to be acquired by a consortium of private equity investors at an implied equity valuation of $8.7 billion.
India's VC-backed Postman raises $150m Series C
Postman, a software development tool creator with operations in India and the US, has raised a $150 million Series C round led by Insight Partners.
BOC leads Series B-plus for Chinese AI player Shukun
Shukun, a Chinese start-up that develops artificial intelligence (AI) technology used in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, has raised RMB200 million ($28 million) in an extended Series B round led by BOC International and CCB International.
L Catterton, TPG join PE backers of India's Jio Platforms
Equity commitments to Jio Platforms, the holding company for various internet and telecom assets owned by India's Reliance Industries, have now surpassed $13.5 billion following confirmation of investments by TPG Capital and L Catterton.