Investments
IFM, AustralianSuper secure $12.3b Ausgrid deal
An all-Australian consortium comprising IFM Investors and AustralianSuper has acquired a 50.4% interest in a 99-year lease of Ausgrid, New South Wales’ (NSW) electricity distribution network, for A$16.2 billion ($12.3 billion).
Deal focus: OSI fills the labor gap
With Japan's demographic crisis promising more labor shortages, CLSA Capital Partners hopes to ride a coming wave of growth in the staffing services industry
Waterman invests in New Zealand-based My Food Bag
Waterman Capital has invested in New Zealand-based food delivery platform My Food Bag (MFB).
VC-backed Tujia acquires Ctrip, Qunar's homestay assets
Chinese vacation rental platform Tujia, which has several VC and PE investors, has acquired the homestay businesses of travel websites Ctrip and Qunar, strengthening its already dominant position in China’s accommodation sharing market.
Everbright-IDG fund invests $297m in China UnionPay Merchant
China Everbright (CEL) and IDG Capital Partners have acquired a 9.3% stake in China UnionPay Merchant Services (UMS), a third-party payment provider, for RMB2 billion ($297 million).
Chinese part-time jobs platform gets $40m Series C round
Doumi, a China-based platform that helps people find part-time jobs, has raised $40 million in Series B funding from Hillhouse Capital, Tencent Holdings, Baidu, and food and agribusiness conglomerate New Hope Group.
Temasek invests $250m in China healthcare venture
Singapore's Temasek Holdings has committed $250 million to hospital operator Columbia Pacific Management for a joint venture in China.
Chinese investors in $30m round for US genetic testing firm
Trustbridge Partners has led a $30 million Series B round for US-based genetic testing company Veritas Genetics.
PE investors commit $850m to Tencent's Supercell acquisition
CITIC Capital and several domestic investment funds have contributed $850 million to Tencent Holdings’ acquisition of a majority stake in Finland-based mobile game developer Supercell.
China transport start-ups: Hot wheels
Bicycle-sharing start-ups are the latest investor craze in China’s technology-enabled transportation space. Can private sector operators make their business models work?
China B2B liquor platform Yijiupi raises $100m Series C
China-based B2B liquor-trading platform Yijiupi has raised a $100 million Series C round led by existing investor Greenwoods Asset Management.
Deal focus: AID returns to the MCN space
Multi-channel networks that raise online content creators' views are expected to thrive as profit-sharing spreads among video platforms. AID hopes to take advantage with its investment in Freedom! Network
Australia-founded SafetyCulture gets $23m Series B
SafetyCulture, an Australia-founded developer of mobile software for safety inspectors, has raised A$30 million ($23 million) in Series B funding from a group of investors including Index Ventures and Blackbird Ventures.
Fidelity funds join $30m round for Singapore's Eywa
Eight Roads Ventures India and US-based F-Prime Capital - both of which are controlled by Fidelity - have joined a $30 million investment in Singapore and India-based drug manufacturer Eywa Pharma.
India's MakeMyTrip to buy Naspers, Tencent-backed ibibo
Indian online travel agent MakeMyTrip has agreed to merge with rival booking portal ibibo Group, which is backed by South African internet conglomerate Naspers Group and China's Tencent Holdings, in an all-stock deal.
Redpoint closes debut China VC fund
Redpoint Ventures, a US early-stage venture firm, has closed its debut China VC fund at $180 million.
CDIB leads round for Taiwan image-recognition start-up
Viscovery, a Taiwanese cloud-based image-recognition technology start-up, has raised $10 million in an extended Series A round led by China Development Industrial Bank (CDIB), a subsidiary of China Development Financial Holding.
Lok Capital backs India's Ummeed Housing Finance
Indian venture capital firm Lok Capital has led a $3.5 million Series A round for Ummeed Housing Finance, a Delhi-based low-income property finance company.
PAG backs restaurant chain Paradise Group
PAG Asia Capital has agreed to invest in Paradise Group Holdings, a Southeast Asia-based restaurant chain with over a dozen brands and more than 60 outlets.
VC-backed FirstCry buys rival Babyoye
VC-backed Indian baby and child-focused retailer FirstCry.com has acquired rival children's store chain and e-commerce outlet Babyoye.
Indian news app Dailyhunt raises $25m
Indian online news aggregator Dailyhunt has raised a $25 million Series D round led by ByteDance, a Chinese VC-backed online content provider.
Brookfield to pay $1.6b in Indian cell tower deal
Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to buy the telecom towers assets of Reliance Communications for INR110 billion ($1.6 billion).
PE-backed Gong Cha Korea to acquire global parent
Gong Cha Korea, the Unison Capital-backed franchise of the global bubble tea franchise Gong Cha, will take a controlling stake in the Taiwan-based parent company.
Nexus commits $7m Series A funding to India's Postman
Nexus Venture partners has committed $7 million in Series A funding to Indian software development tool creator Postman.