Investments
Deal focus: Wish scales up cross-border e-commerce
Wish secures an extended Series F round to build out its platform that enables Chinese suppliers to sell cut-price goods to US and European consumers
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
Co-working spaces in Asia: Spaced out
Co-working spaces are proliferating in Asia as companies – from multinationals to start-ups – opt for more flexible real estate arrangements. The transition is real, but are the valuations justified?
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.
China’s Cloudwise raises $26m from VCs
CBC Capital has led a $26 million Series C round for Cloudwise, a Beijing-based application performance management (APM) solutions provider, with participation from SIG Asia and Sequoia Capital China.
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.
Lok leads $5.6m Series B for India's Ummeed
Lok Capital has led a $5.6 million Series B round for Indian affordable housing finance company Ummeed Housing Finance.
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.
Jungle leads $5.3m Series A for India's PaySense
Jungle Ventures has led a $5.3 million Series A round for Indian online credit platform PaySense.
Proterra invests $100m in Southeast Asia's FKS Food & Agri
Proterra Investment Partners has committed $100 million to FKS Food & Agri, the food and agriculture platform of Southeast Asia’s FKS Group.
SoftBank invests in India's Paytm
SoftBank Group has invested in One97 Communications, the parent company of Indian online payments and e-commerce platform Paytm.
Prostar buys majority stake in Korean gas distributor
Energy-focused private equity firm Prostar Capital and its co-investor BlackRock have acquired Korean gas distributor Kyungnam Energy, facilitating an exit for local GP Anchor Equity Partners.
Hellman & Friedman submits $2.1b offer for Australia's Fairfax
Hellman & Friedman has submitted a buyout offer for Australia’s Fairfax Media that values the business as high as A$2.9 billion ($2.1 billion).
Japanese digital marketing player receives $28m
From Scratch, a Japanese digital marketing platform, has raised approximately JPY3.2 billion ($28.4 million) in funding from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Rakuten Ventures, as well as several existing investors.
GIC invests in India's Capital First, Warburg Pincus part exits
Warburg Pincus has sold a 25% stake in India-listed non-banking financial company (NBFC) Capital First to a group of buyers including Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC Private.
Venture: Vietnam plus
Vietnam’s start-up ecosystem is gaining prominence as the diaspora community taps local tech talent to create businesses targeting global markets. Expect deal flow to increase substantially in coming years
Ping An leads $75m round for YY's gaming subsidiary Huya
China Ping An Insurance has led a $75 million Series A round for Huya, the live game broadcasting subsidiary of Chinese social networking platform YY.
Cross-border e-commerce site Wish raises new round
Wish, a San Francisco-based cross-border e-commerce app backed by several Asian investors, has completed a Series F round led by Everbright-IDG Industrial Fund.
IFC proposes $75m investment in India’s Max Healthcare
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, is considering an investment of up to $75 million in Indian hospital chain Max Healthcare.
Vietnam SOEs: Shifting ground
Vietnam’s state-owned enterprise (SOE) privatization initiative continues to produce investment opportunities, but private equity firms must be prepared for a hard sell when negotiating
Vietnam renewables: Good vibrations
A palpable new enthusiasm has permeated Vietnam’s sluggish renewable energy sector as rising electricity demand prompts regulatory reform. Private equity is one of the key players
Vietnam investment: Familiar faces
Regional private equity firms are refocusing on Vietnam, widening the exit options for local GPs that specialize in bringing companies to scale. But sizeable deals are scarce and valuations are rising
CPPIB commits $500m to India logistics joint venture
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has committed $500 million to IndoSpace Core, a joint venture focused on acquiring and developing logistics facilities in India.