Investments
French VC joins $13m round for Japanese biopharma player
France-based venture capital firm Seventure Partners has joined a $13.1 million funding round for Japanese biopharmaceuticals development company Anaeropharma Science.
KKR's credit unit offers $499m for Australia's Pepper
KKR Credit Advisors (KCA) has made a A$655 million ($499 million) offer for Australian mortgage lender and distressed debt servicer Pepper Group.
Liberty House beats Korean PE consortium to Arrium deal
A group led by UK-based industrials and metals group Liberty House has agreed to acquire distressed Australian mining giant Arrium, beating out a private equity-backed Korean consortium.
China B2B steel-trading platform raises $74m
Chinese B2B steel-trading platform Zhaogang.com has received RMB500 million ($74 million) from existing investors China Renaissance Private Equity Fund and West Fund, as well as the Russia-China Investment Fund (RCIF).
VIG pays $127m for majority stake in Korean skincare player
VIG Partners has agreed to buy a 73% stake in Press & Converting, a Korea-based manufacturer of facial masks primarily used for skincare, in a deal worth KRW146 billion ($127 million).
Denham terminates $42m takeover of Australian miner
Denham Capital has withdrawn from a commitment to fully acquire Cradle Resources that had valued the Australia-listed mining company at A$55 million ($42 million).
Q&A: BDA's Paul DiGiacomo
Paul DiGiacomo, a managing director with Asia-focused advisory firm BDA Partners, discusses the latest trends in M&A, from increasingly sophisticated Chinese buyers to more willing multinational sellers
China-US EV: Electric avenue
US cleantech start-ups have emerged as important suppliers in China’s fast-growing electric vehicle industry. Venture capital firms will play a key role in keeping the cross-border traffic flowing
GSR leads $13m round for Singapore's InstaRem
GSR Ventures has led a $13 million Series B funding round for Singapore-based financial technology start-up InstaRem.
China cross-border VC: Home from home
Chinese capital is chasing deals in America’s technology space, but success in Silicon Valley requires a long-term commitment. Does the new breed of US-born Chinese VCs have the right cross-border strategy?
Singapore's GIC buys 30% stake in Mergermarket
Singapore’s GIC Private has acquired an approximately 30% stake in Mergermarket Group – AVCJ’s parent company – from BC Partners. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
Cassia Investments backs buyout of Shanghai Tang
Hong Kong-based private equity firm Cassia Investments has supported an acquisition by Italian entrepreneur Alessandro Bastagli of fashion retailer Shanghai Tang from Swiss luxury goods company Richemont.
Deutsche's Jason Sambanju launches secondaries firm
Jason Sambanju, the former head of Asian private equity secondaries at Deutsche Bank, has launched his own investment firm – Foundation Private Equity – which will pursue secondary opportunities in the region.
PE investors drop bids for Australia's Fairfax
Hellman & Friedman, along with a consortium led by TPG Capital and including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), have withdrawn their bids to acquire Australia’s Fairfax Media.
Pierfront invests $30m in Singapore shipping group
Singapore-based alternative credit investor Pierfront Capital has completed a $30 million investment in domestic shipping services company KNOT Offshore Partners.
TPG leads $437 million investment in Kakao's ride-hailing business
A TPG Capital-led consortium has agreed to invest KRW500 billion ($437.5 million) in a transportation-focused spin-out of South Korean internet services company Kakao Corp.
Premji Invest commits $109m to India's Aditya Birla Capital
Premji Invest, the family office of Wipro chairman Azim Premji, has invested INR7 billion ($109 million) in Aditya Birla Capital (ABCL), the financial services arm of the Aditya Birla Group.
KKR to buy majority stake in Australia's Dixon Hospitality
KKR has agreed to acquire a majority interest in Dixon Hospitality, which operates a portfolio of more than 40 food and beverage outlets across major cities in Australia. The capital will come from the GP's third pan-Asian fund, which closed earlier this...
Gome invests in China VC-backed home renovation play
Gome Holding Group, one of China's largest electrical appliance retailers, has invested RMB216 million ($31 million) in a Series C round of funding for Ikongjian.com, a VC-backed online-to-offline (O2O) interior design platform.
OrbiMed leads $30m round for China's Zai Lab
Zai Lab, a pharmaceutical company that licenses pre-clinical findings in the West for development into drugs in China, has received $30 million in Series C funding led by existing investor OrbiMed.
Deal focus: JD.com plugs Farfetch into China
Having previously distanced itself from mainstream e-commerce players, luxury online fashion retailer Farfetch has received $397 million from JD.com with a view to entering the China market
VC secondaries: Trading unicorns
Secondary investors are seeing more deal flow in the venture capital space as GPs seek to generate returns on assets that are taking longer than expected to go IPO. Valuations remain a sticking point
Yunfeng leads $29m round for China media company
China-focused PE firm Yunfeng Capital has led a RMB200 million ($29 million) Series B round of funding for Tianjin Galaxy Cool Media, a local online video content producer.
Warburg Pincus leads $64m round for Singapore's Trax
Warburg Pincus has led a $64 million investment in Trax, a Singapore-based company that has developed visual technology through which retailers can link sales to in-store and on-shelf positioning.