Investments
India eases rules on entrepreneurs’ post-IPO lock-up
India has altered rules concerning the lock-up on entrepreneurs’ shares post-IPO in order to make it easier for companies to list. This is expected to support companies that go through several stages of private equity funding.
SCPE pumps $45m into Indian cryogenics firm
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has paid INR2.5 billion ($45 million) for a minority stake in Inox India, a major global manufacturer of cryogenic storage and transportation equipment.
Actis invests $40m in AGS Transact Technologies
Actis has invested $40 million in TPG-backed AGS Transact Technologies (AGS), one of the leading automatic teller machine (ATM) outsourcing and payments company in India.
Mekong exits toy maker Nam Hoa
Mekong Capital has completed the sale of its holding in Nam Hoa Production & Trading Corporation, a Vietnamese manufacturer of wooden toys for preschool children.
CIC, GIC boost RRJ-backed Cheniere's LNG plant with $1b
China Investment Corporation (CIC) and Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) are each said to have invested around $500 million in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant of US-based Cheniere Energy. This comes after Asia-focused private equity...
Freemont backs Indian eco-products start-up
Freemont Partners has invested in Natural Mantra, an Indian online start-up that sells eco-conscious products. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
Asia PE investment: Korea makes a splash
With four deals of $350m or more in the last few weeks, South Korea has made its mark on Asia’s private equity investment league table. Why is it happening and can it continue?
Clove sees 20x return on Philippines oil deal
The Philippines has long been perceived as a black hole for private equity. Clove Capital, which spun out from EMP Daiwa Capital Asia, begs to differ and now it has evidence to support its case: a 20x return on an investment in Philippines oil exploration...
Quadrant in quasi-secondary retail deal
Does Quadrant Private Equity's investment in Super A-Mart and Barbeques Galore constitute a quasi-secondary transaction?
China take-privates, part 34
One week, two private equity-backed management buyout offers for Chinese companies listed on NASDAQ, and a lot of fuss from (some, but not all) media outlets about how this is the start of something big. It’s not.
GE, VC firms to back Australasia cleantech start-ups
General Electric (GE) has teamed up with five venture capital firms in Australia and New Zealand on a $10 million fund that will support the development of clean technology. It is the company’s first ever local “ecoimagination” challenge and entries...
Actis invests in Sri Lanka’s Asiri Central Hospitals
Actis has purchased a 10.8% stake in Sri Lanka’s Asiri Central Hospitals for LKR604 million ($4.5 million). The emerging markets-focused private equity firm acquired 2.4 million shares in the Colombo-listed company from Softlogic Holdings, Commercial...
KKR invests $30m in China apparel retailer Novo
KKR has invested $30 million in Novo, a fashion apparel retailer focused on the urban youth demographic in China.
Actis exits Dalmia Bharat Sugar & Industries - report
Actis is said to have exited its 5.5% stake in Dalmia Bharat Sugar & Industries - formerly Dalmia Cement Bharat - for INR82.7 million ($1.5 million).
PE exits in India down by 90% in second quarter - PwC
India private equity exits fell 89% year-on-year to just $108 million in the second quarter. This came from 12 transactions, down 33%, according to a report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Australia's QIC to pick up Swedish PE interests - report
Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) is reportedly set to buy almost 10% of a EUR1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) portfolio of private equity interests being sold by Swedish insurance group Länsförsäkringar.
Peepul Capital makes two investments in Chennai
Peepul Capital, an India-focused private equity firm, has invested $15-25 million each in two Chennai-based companies - Consul Consolidated, a power solution company, and Cura Healthcare, a radiology equipment maker. Both investments were channeled from...
STIC-led group preferred bidder for Korean weapons manufacturer
A consortium formed by South Korean private equity firm STIC Investments and brokerage Hana Daetoo Securities has been selected as the preferred bidder for a stake in South Korea's LIG Nex1. The weapons manufacturer is offloading a 49% interest worth...
Lok Capital ups stake in Ujjivan MFI, Bellwether exits
Lok Capital has reportedly upped its stake in India’s Ujjivan Microfinance by acquiring the 7% held by microfinance investor Bellwether. Another shareholder is set to exit its stake by the end of August.
MBK agrees $1.1b deal for Korea’s Woongjin Coway
MBK Partners has agreed to pay KRW1.1 trillion ($1.1 billion) for a 31% stake in Woongjin Coway, the water purifier business of South Korean conglomerate Woongjin Holdings. It is the country’s joint-largest private equity transaction this year and brings...
VC firm leads $6m App Annie Series B round
App Annie, the service provider of app store analytics and market intelligence for the global app economy, has raised $6 million in Series B financing led by Greycroft Partners. China’s IDG Capital Partners, the lead investor in the previous funding...
Fosun expresses support for Focus Media take-private
China's Fosun International, Focus Media’s second-largest shareholder, with a 17.2% stake, said the recent take-private proposal for the Shanghai-based advertising company by a private equity consortium is an attractive option for shareholders. Fosun’s...
General Atlantic exits Infotech Enterprises for $36m
General Atlantic Partners – through its entity GA Global Investments – has sold 11.7 million shares, or a 10.48% stake, in Infotech Enterprises to Cyprus-based company Gagil FDI for INR2.01 billion ($36.2 million).
FountainVest backs LJ International’s privatization
Fountainvest Partners, the Shanghai-based private equity fund founded by former Goldman Sachs and Temasek dealmaker Frank Tang, has teamed up with Yu-Chuan Yih, CEO of Nasdaq-listed jeweler LJ International, to take the company private.