Investments
One Belt One Road: Probationary bonanza
China’s One Belt One Road agenda is set to be a driving force in M&A activity that reshapes economies across Eurasia for decades to come. Early movers are consequently negotiating a new world of variables
China M&A: Outbound 2.0
Following the issuance of regulatory guidance, the aggression and opportunism that once characterized corporate China’s approach to overseas M&A will be replaced by moderation and consideration
All-Stars, Ctrip lead $300m round for China's Tujia
Existing investors All-Stars Investment and Ctrip have jointly led a $300 million Series E round of funding for China’s Tujia, valuing the online accommodation-booking platform at over $1.5 billion.
India's Samara acquires drug portfolio from Novartis
Samara Capital Partners has acquired the Indian rights to a portfolio of drug brands from Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis.
Australia's Airtasker receives $25.7m Series C
Airtasker, an Australian peer-to-peer jobs and services marketplace operator, has raised a A$33 million ($25.7 million) funding round led by Skyfield Capital.
Gobi leads $14.5m round for Southeast Asia's Deliveree
Deliveree, a Southeast Asia-focused last-mile logistics marketplace, has raised a $14.5 million Series A round of funding led by Gobi Partners.
India car-sharing platform Drivezy gets $10m round
Indian car, motorcycle and bicycle rental company Drivezy has received a $10 million funding round from a group of investors including Das Capital, Axan Ventures, CrowdWorks and IT-Farm.
Provident joins $138m bid for Indonesian mining project
Provident Capital has joined a consortium of investors in a bid to acquire Finders Resources that values the Indonesian mining project developer at about A$177.7 million ($138 million).
Tencent invests $400m in India's Ola
Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings has invested $400 million in Indian ride-hailing operator Ola, valuing the business at approximately $4.1 billion.
Epsilon, IL&FS lead $8m round for India's Farm Taaza
Epsilon Venture Partners and IL&FS Investment Managers (IIML) have led an $8 million Series A round for Indian agricultural logistics player Farm Taaza Produce.
VCs in $6.5m round for Japan's LaFabric
Globis Capital Partners has joined a group of venture capital firms in a JPY740 million ($6.5 million) funding round for Lifestyle Design, the Japanese operator of men’s custom-made fashion marketplace LaFabric.
Australia's Allegro reaches first close on Fund III
Allegro Funds has reached a first close of more than A$200 million ($156 million) on its third fund. The Australian GP is no longer marketing to new investors and a final close near the hard cap of around A$300 million is expected before the end of the...
Abraaj invests in Pakistani cinema chain
The Abraaj Group has invested an undisclosed sum in Cinepax, with a view to helping the Pakistan-based cinema operator more than triple in size over the next four years.
Deal focus: Yao Capital bets big on sports training
A start-up aiming to improve Chinese children's access to sports training receives the backing of sport-focused GP Yao Capital
Lexington leads $1.2b Warburg Pincus Asia secondary deal
Lexington Partners is leading the $1.2 billion secondary deal that will see Warburg Pincus sell a portion of every Asian investment in its 11th global fund in order to return capital to LPs. Goldman Sachs’ asset management arm is also participating as...
VCs commit $6.6m to Japan's Skydisc
Skydisc, a Japan-based company that provides hardware for internet-of-things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications, has raised JPY740 million ($6.6 million) from a group of VC firms, including existing backers Nissay Capital and Archetype...
Deal focus: JingChi gases up with Qiming investment
Technology developer JingChi is planning to leverage a new commitment from Qiming Venture Partners to take the lead in China's competitive autonomous driving space
Bain launches $1.3b tender offer for Japanese ad agency
Bain Capital Private Equity has launched a tender offer for Japan-based advertising agency Asatsu-DK (ADK) that values the company at JPY151 billion ($1.3 billion).
Riverside invests in Australia energy software player
The Riverside Company has made an investment of undisclosed size in Energy Exemplar, a software provider for the electric power, water, gas and renewables industries.
China online radio platform raises $150m
Qingting FM, a Chinese online radio platform, has raised a RMB1 billion ($150 million) round of funding jointly led by We Capital – the VC arm of Chinese ticket booking site Beijing Weiying Times Technology – and Baidu.
Singapore's AdAsia closes Series A at $14.5m
Singapore-based advertising technology company AdAsia Holdings has closed its Series A funding round at $14.5 million after receiving a $2.5 million investment from angel investor Hisanori Watanabe and Japanese news app provider Gunosy.
Deal focus: Gogoro takes its scooters global
Taiwan-based Smartscooter wants to stimulate demand for its electric vehicles in Southeast Asia by rolling out a dedicated network of battery exchange stations. The company has raised $300 million in support of this plan
Japan carve-outs: Slow burn story
Toshiba Memory Corporation is set to become Asia'a largest-ever PE buyout, if the deal goes through in its current form. But this doesn't necessarily mean the path to corporate divestments in Japan will become smoother
KKR invests in Chinese fintech platform
KKR has committed an undisclosed amount of Series C funding to Chinese financial technology platform Shenzhen Suishou Technology.