Investments

Woori PE might sell big Kumho Investment stake

Woori Private Equity, the private equity arm of Seoul-headquartered local lender Woori Bank, is reportedly planning on selling its 41.4% share of Kumho Investment Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kumho Asiana Group, the troubled South Korean conglomerate.

RHJ sold partial stake in Japanese auto play U-Shin

RHJ International, the Belgium-based holding company operated by US buyout firm Ripplewood Holdings, has sold about half of its 20% stake in U-Shin, Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer of electrical auto components, for ¥1.9 billion ($20.85 million).

BoA will retain Merrill Asia property funds

Bank of America is no longer selling Merrill Lynch's $2.65 billion Asian property fund business, which the US bank had originally planned to divest among other non-core businesses following its acquisition of Merrill at end 2008 during the financial crisis.

PRC real estate play IFM Investments downsizes IPO

Chinese real estate company IFM Investments Ltd., which operates under a franchise agreement with major US real estate agency Century 21, has reportedly downsized the number of shares it plans to sell in its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange from 16.6...

CHAMP's Study Group International mulls IPO

CHAMP Private Equity-owned Australian education services provider Study Group International is reportedly exploring a listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in June, and has appointed Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse as joint lead managers.

NAB invests WOW

National Australia Bank Integrated Capital Solutions, NAB’s private equity unit, has invested a substantial, though undisclosed, amount in WOW Sight & Sound, a Queensland-based electronics and AV retailer.

IFC to support Indian hydro with AD Hydro Power

The World Bank’s private investment arm, International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced it will extend $15 million of equity and $67 million of debt to AD Hydro Power Ltd., a 192-MW project in Himachal Pradesh under joint development by Bhilwara...

CVC AP, MBK may be in Korea Pru bid

Pan-regional private equity funds CVC Asia Pacific and MBK Partners reportedly may be among the four or five shortlisted bidders for Prudential Asset Management and Prudential Investment & Securities, the Korean units of Prudential Financial Inc. now...

PRC BPO play iSoftStone attracts VCs

Everbright Private Equity, a subsidiary of listed Chinese red-chip financial conglomerate China Everbright Ltd., and other venture capital firms, including AsiaVest Partners, Fidelity Asia Ventures, Infotech Pacific Ventures, Mitsui Ventures Global Fund,...

KDB eyes Siam City Bank

Korea Development Bank (KDB), South Korea's state-owned bank and private equity investor, has emerged as one of the potential bidders for Siam City Bank, the seventh largest bank in Thailand, which is 47.6% owned by the Thai government.

Citi wants to sell Japanese ski resort

Citigroup is reportedly expecting to sell Niseko ski resort, a popular ski destination in Hokkaido for local and foreign skiers, which the group's Citigroup Principal Investments unit purchased in 2006 as part of a block deal totaling $54 million.

Temasek in talks with GMR for India power

After selling off its stakes in Singaporean power companies, Singapore SWF Temasek Holdings is reported to be in late stage talks with India's GMR Infrastructure to invest some $150 million in its power unit, GMR Energy.

Insight invests Six Waves for Facebook

New York-headquartered VC Insight Venture Partners has sought to tap Facebook’s popularity by investing $17.5 million in Six Waves Inc. (otherwise known as ‘6 waves, a Hong Kong-based company that has developed a sheaf of products and games based...