Investments
PEP raises bid for Spotless
Pacific Equity Partners has upped its takeover bid for Australian cleaning services firm Spotless to A$711 million ($727.7 million) from A$700 million, in an attempt at coaxing the company that has twice rejected its private equity suitors.
Update: Lone Star may sell KEB for 11% less
Lone Star is reportedly looking to sell its stake in Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) to Hana Financial Group at an 11% discount to its previously discussed price of KRW4.4 trillion ($3.8 billion). That price is a further reduction on the 7% discount reported...
JH Partners sells Jurlique stake to Japanese trade buyer
US private equity firm JH Partners has sold its 30% stake in Australian organic skincare brand Jurlique International to Japanese cosmetics maker POLA Orbis Holdings.
Apollo sells Parallel Petroleum to South Korean trade buyers
New York-based Apollo Global Management has reportedly sold its US oil and gas company Parallel Petroleum to two South Korean trade buyers for $780 million.
Warburg Pincus to buy $210m Haitong shares
Warburg Pincus Private Equity has agreed to buy $210 million worth of Haitong shares, thus becoming a cornerstone investor in the Chinese brokerage’s Hong Kong IPO.
Blackstone, Bain eye Yahoo bid
Blackstone and Bain Capital are reportedly nearing a bid to buy the whole of Yahoo that could value the company at more than $20 a share. Yahoo’s associates in China and Japan, Alibaba Group and Softbank Corp., may support the private equity consortium...
SAIF invests $30m in China Polymetallic Mining IPO
SAIF Partners has agreed to buy $30 million worth of shares in China Polymetallic Mining, moving the firm toward its goal to raise up to $163 million through an IPO.
VC Professional of the Year – Sandeep Singhal
Sandeep Singhal, co-founder of Nexus Venture Partners, discusses job satisfaction, the secrets of his venture firm’s success and the outlook for India’s early-stage sector.
Bain sells offs Chinese chemical companies
With Bain Capital poised to announce a first close on its second Asia fund, the private equity firm has secured the first full exit from an investment made through its debut regional vehicle. The sale of Hipro Polymers and Casda Biomaterials to French...
PE Deal of the Year – Hyva
UNITAS CAPITAL’S BUYOUT OF DUTCH cylinder-maker Hyva earlier this year was a landmark private equity deal in that it was the first in Asia to be backed by a high-yield bond. Not only did the company’s $375 million bond issue set a precedent for other...
PE sees rise in post-deal disputes
Post-closing claims against PE firms have shot up since the global financial crisis, causing cash to be held back from exits and IRRs to suffer. What does it mean for Asia?
Trade Sale of the Year – Beijing Leader & Harvest
Conventional wisdom states that foreign private equity firms will struggle to do buyouts in China. If an owner is willing to sell – and few private entrepreneurs are, while anything with state ties is off limits – the regulators might not be willing to...
Private Equity Professional of the Year – Peter Wiggs
“It's been quite a year,” Peter Wiggs reflected as he collected the prize for Private Equity Professional of the Year at the 2011 Asian Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards.
Archer, Ironbridge achieve iNova exit
It may have taken longer than expected, but Archer Capital and Ironbridge Capital have finally exited Australian portfolio company iNova Pharmaceuticals to a Canadian trade buyer two years after launching an auction for the company. A healthy return on...
Lone Star may sell KEB for 7% less - report
Lone Star is reportedly nearing the sale of Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) to Hana Financial Group at a 7% discount to the KRW4.4 trillion ($3.8 billion) offer price. If agreed, the move would highlight the pressure that embattled Lone Star faces to offload...
Polaris buys Kanto-Unyu for $64m - report
Mid-market private equity house Polaris Capital Group has reportedly purchased Japanese trucking company Kanto-Unyu Co. for an estimated JPY5 billion yen ($64 million).
KKR, Sequoia, Everbright subscribe $110m to China Outfitters IPO
Private equity firms KKR, Sequoia Capital China and Everbright Private Equity have each become cornerstone investors in the Hong Kong IPO of China Outfitters. Between them the funds have committed $110 million, or three-quarters of the $145 million the...
CVC sells Minit to Unison Capital
CVC Capital Asia has succeeded in exiting shoe repair chain Minit Asia Pacific to Tokyo-based Unison Capital, reportedly after two failed attempts to sell the company.
Asian bidders compete for RBS' aircraft leasing business
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, China Development Bank and a consortium led by Australia’s Macquarie are among the final bidders for RBS Aviation Capital, the aircraft leasing business being divested by Royal Bank of Scotland. The only other potential...
WI Harper, Matrix back game developer SNS Plus
WI Harper and Matrix Partners have co-led a $4 million round of funding for SNS Plus, an Asia-focused gaming company. SNS Plus has published more than 60 games on Facebook and a further 15 on other social networking platforms.
Mizuho subsidiary exits Matsubo
A portfolio company owned by Mizuho Capital Partners has reportedly exited its stake in Matsubo, a machinery trading company, to Shinsho Corp.
India's Maini Global Aerospace gets $10m in PE funding
Maini Global Aerospace (MGA) has received a $10 million investment from a foreign private equity fund. The Indian company will use the funding to build a new factory and is already looking for an additional $50 million to further expand its capacity....
CIC plans to invest in Western infrastructure projects
China Investment Corp. (CIC) will commit funds to improving infrastructure in developed countries, starting with the UK, where it plans to team up with fund managers or participate through public-private partnerships.
Investors eye Tokyo properties - report
Tokyo properties are materializing as a key target for overseas investors in the coming year, pinpointed a growth area while other sectors struggle.