Investments
Avendus launches third India PIPE fund
Avendus Private Equity has launched its third PIPE fund. India Opportunities Fund III is targeting INR5 billion ($91 million) and will focus on investments in high quality mid-cap companies.
Aditya Birla-backed Tree House to acquire Brainworks
Pre-school management company Tree House Education, backed by Aditya Birla Capital Advisors, is to acquire 100% of Brainworks Learning Systems, a national chain of pre-schools. Brainworks is part of Better Value Brands.
Morgan Stanley to complete $147m China dairy take-private
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) is on the cusp of completing a $147 million buyout of Chinese dairy producer Feihe International after the board accepted a bid from the PE firm in conjunction with the company’s chairman and CEO. It is the sixth...
Warburg Pincus-backed ACB India plans to raise $200m through IPO, OFS
ACB India, a coal preparation plant operator backed by Warburg Pincus, is planning to raise as much as INR11 billion ($200 million) through an IPO and offer for sale (OFS) later this month.
CapitalAsia backs Canadian copper miner
CapitalAsia has agreed to invest $1.2 million in Toronto-listed copper miner Cadillac Ventures via the Sino-Canada Natural Resources Fund.
No date set for resuming China IPO approvals – CSRC
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has yet to set a timetable for resuming IPO approvals, scotching rumors that it would start pushing through new candidates in April, an official from the securities watchdog told Xinhua news agency.
Apax, Permira-backed New Look eyes China expansion
UK fashion retailer New Look, which is backed by Apax Partners and Permira, is looking to expand into China.
India to tax buyback exits by foreign investors
India plans to impose a 20% withholding tax on foreign investors in private companies who exit their holdings through a buyback of shares. Investments routed through jurisdictions such as Mauritius and Singapore to take advantage of double tax treaty...
JAFCO invests $5 million in HiringBoss
Japanese venture capital firm JAFCO has put $5 million into HR software provider HiringBoss in a Series A round of funding.
Apax Partners continues Apollo Hospitals exit
Apax Partners has continued its exit of Apollo Hospitals, selling a 3.8% stake for INR4.4 billion ($83 million).
7 Days board agrees to PE-backed buyout
Chinese budget hotel chain 7 Days Group has accepted a take-private offer from its co-chairmen and three private equity investors that values the company at approximately $688 million. Two PE firms, The Carlyle Group and Sequoia Capital, were initially...
Archer-owned Australian Aged Care buys Lend Lease's care unit
Australian Aged Care Partners, an Archer Capital portfolio company, has agreed to buy property group Lend Lease's aged care unit for A$270 million ($276 million). The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of March 2013.
Northstar, tycoon buy stake in Hutchison's Indonesia unit
Northstar Pacific Partners is part of an investor group that has purchased a 35% stake in Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa’s Indonesian telecom business. The transaction facilitates the exit of Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand.
Carlyle-backed China Fishery in $277m Peruvian deal
China Fishery, an industrial fishing company part-owned by The Carlyle Group, will pay $555.8 million for Peruvian counterpart Copeinca. The acquisition will make China Fishery the largest player in the world’s largest market by volume for fishmeal and...
AID Partners buys HMV's Asia operations
AID Partners has bought music and movie retailer HMV's operations in Hong Kong and Singapore, plus all its licenses in mainland China, Macau and Taiwan.
Korea's AmorePacific leads pharma firm's Series B round
AmorePacific Ventures, the VC arm of Korea's largest cosmetics group, has led a $7 million Series B round of investment in Miami-based Brickell Biotech, a pharma firm specializing in skin conditions. Further details of the deal were not disclosed.
Q&A: CHAMP Private Equity's John Haddock
Australian companies are increasingly open to the prospect of working with a financial investor and seeking growth away from the public spotlight, says John Haddock, managing director at CHAMP Private Equity.
Going walkabout: Australian outbound investment
Taking portfolio companies from Australia into Asia represents a major opportunity for private equity. Pan-regional funds see it as a key part of their strategy, but can domestic players join the party?
Leveraged finance: New faces, slower processes
The withdrawal of Western banks from Australia's leveraged financing market has created opportunities for others. A general sense of caution means that, while debt is available, it won't necessarily come quickly
Origo sets up Myanmar joint venture
Origo Partners and Myanmar-based Serge Pun & Associates (SPA) have formed a joint venture in Myanmar to identify investment opportunities across the natural resources and other sectors.
ChrysCapital buys 10% stake in NBFC Au Financiers
ChrysCapital Partners has purchased a 10% stake in Indian non-banking financial company Au Financiers for INR1.2 billion ($22.2 million). The investment facilitates another partial exit for Motilal Oswal Private Equity, which sold a portion of its holding...
RRJ, Blackstone boost holding in Cheniere Energy
RRJ Capital and GSO Capital, The Blackstone Group’s credit arm, have bought the bulk of $372 million in shares issued by Cheniere Energy Partners, a limited partnership that controls America’s fire liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant.
Indonesian incubator Grupara invests in fashion site
Indonesian venture capital firm Grupara has invested in men's fashion e-commerce site Maskool.in for an undisclosed amount.
Provident increases stake in mining firm Sumatra
Provident Capital Partners has upped its stake in Sumatra Copper & Gold, an Australian-listed mining company operating on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The investment forms part of A$63 million ($64 million) in debt and equity funding for the company's...