Investments
Nestle tables $1.7b offer for Hsu Fu Chi
A fund advised by Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) stands to make a substantial gain on its investment in Chinese confectionary company Hsu Fu Chi after Nestle tabled an offer of $1.7 billion for a 60% stake in the company. The size of the deal, which...
India's lower-tier urban opportunities
As demand for consumer goods rises among India’s 1.2 billion population, private equity has been scouring the cities for a windfall. Yet, this growth – and the competition for deals that has arisen from it – has also prompted a handful of private equity...
Private equity, the ASEAN way
South East Asia has returned as a favored destination for private equity investors. With a population of over 600 million people and a combined GDP of $1.8 trillion, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – comprising Indonesia, Malaysia,...
Japan's CyberAgent takes stake in smartphone game developer
CyberAgent Ventures, a Japanese venture capital firm based in Beijing, has taken 25% stake in a Hong Kong smart phone game developer Epicforce Entertainment. The investment - the size of which has not been disclosed - was made through a joint fund set...
Henderson Private Equity invests $10m in IPE Global
Henderson Equity Partners has paid $10 million for a 26% stake in Delhi-based Infrastructure Professionals Enterprise (IPE Global), a consultancy specializing in infrastructure development projects. The investment was made through Henderson Asia Pacific...
Collins Booksellers to take REDGroup's Angus & Robertson franchises
Australian book chain Collins Booksellers has reached an agreement with REDGroup Retail’s administrators to take several Angus & Robertson franchises, according to local media reports.
CVC takes additional $29m from Samsonite IPO over-allotment
CVC and Royal Bank of Scotland made an additional $46 million from Samonsite's Hong Kong IPO after underwriters exercised the over-allotment option to meet demand for the shares. The luggage maker's IPO initially raised $1.25 billion and the stock slumped...
Indian budget hotel chains court private equity
A number of Indian budget and mid-range hotel chains are seeking private equity investment to support their expansion plans, Mint reported.
Blackstone exited Chinese agricultural firm due to PR concerns
Blackstone Group earlier this year exited its investment in Dili Group, the parent company of a Chinese vegetable trading firm, after being warned that its involvement would complicate moves to raise prices, the Financial Times reported, citing people...
Nestle offers $1.7b for 60% of Chinese candy company
Nestle has offered to buy 60% of Hsu Fu Chi International, a leading Chinese confectionary company, for about $1.7 billion and then take the company private in collaboration with its family owners, Reuters reported. The deal values Hsu Fu Chi at S$3.46...
Chinese autopart maker buys KSM from European buyout firm
European buyout firm Cognetas has sold German auto-parts supplier KSM Castings to China’s CITIC Dicastal Manufacturing for an undisclosed sum. Reports estimate that transaction’s value at EUR300 million ($430.5 million).
India's L&T sees $75m in pre-IPO raise
L&T Finance Holdings, a subsidiary of Indian engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro, has raised $75 million through a pre-IPO share placement to US private equity fund Capital International, according to a statement sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange....
New Silk Route closes in on India restaurant deal
New Silk Route Advisors expects to close its first investment in an Indian restaurant business later this month, having spent two years looking for suitable targets. The private equity firm has committed $100 million in debt and equity and plans to spend...
Lone Star, Hana agree on cut-price deal for KEB
Lone Star will sell its stake in Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) to Hana Financial Group for just over KRW4.4 trillion ($4.16 billion), after both sides agreed to cut the price tag by KRW283 billion ($266 million). The price for the 51% stake in KEB has been...
China Auto Logistics raises $5.25m through private equity placement
China Auto Logistics has raised $5.25 million through a private equity placement. The NASDAQ-listed company, which runs automobile-related websites, sells imported luxury vehicles and provides automobile-related services, sold 3 million unregistered common...
Pegatron, Mitsui invest in Israel's Valens Semiconductor
Taiwan-based Pegatron and Japan's Mitsui & Co. Global Investment have participated in a $14 million Series B financing round for Israeli firm Valens Semiconductor.
IDG invests in Hong Kong's App Annie
IDG Capital Partners has participated in the first round of private equity financing round for App Annie, a Hong Kong-based analytics and marketing intelligence provider. The size of the investment has not been revealed.
Century Bridge exits from China real estate project
Century Bridge Capital has cashed out of its $125 million joint venture with Jia Heng Real Estate. It is the Dallas-based private equity firm’s first exit from an investment in China. Terms of the exit were not released.
Korean financial plays are not for foreigners
The Woori and Mirae Asset Life Insurance deals are cause for hope, but foreign PE may still find life difficult
Corporates lead India VC into the light
Early-stage funding has been hard to come by in India. Corporate funds plugged the gap but competition is now rising as venture capital matures
India exits: M&A trumps IPO
A new study reveals sharp disparities in preferred private equity exit routes in China and India
Baidu takes off with Qunar
The ample potential of China's online travel industry was reiterated last week when internet search giant Baidu agreed to pay $306 million for majority ownership of venture capital-backed booking site Qunar. It follows the likes of Alibaba and Tencent...
Sequoia bets on India's snack food potential
Indian snack food maker Prakash Snacks has secured its first round of private equity financing from Sequoia Capital, believed to be worth $25-30 million. Financial details were not disclosed, but local media reported that the Silicon Valley growth capital...
GSR Ventures closes fourth fund at $350m
GSR Ventures has closed its fourth fund at $350 million after it was substantially oversubscribed. The firm, which focuses on early-stage technology deals in China, said that existing investors contributed over 80% of the capital.