Investments
Australia social media start-up Linktree raises $45m
Index Ventures and Coatue Management have led a $45 million Series B round for Australia-based social media services platform Linktree.
KKR, Sequoia lead $234m round for Indian NBFC
KKR and Sequoia Capital India have led a $234 million investment in Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC) Five Star Business Finance at a valuation of $1.4 billion.
China yogurt brand secures $122m Series B
Simple Love, also known as Jian’Ai, a Chinese yogurt brand, has raised RMB800 million ($122 million) in Series B funding from Matrix Partners China, BA Capital, CITIC Agriculture Fund, and Maison Capital. They all backed the company's RMB400 million...
India's Dream Sports raises $400m, hits $5b valuation
Dream Sports, operator of India’s largest fantasy sports platform, has raised $400 million in funding led by TCV, D1 Capital Partners and Falcon Edge Capital. The post-deal valuation is nearly $5 billion.
JC Flowers exits Asia trading platforms business
JC Flowers has agreed to sell Hong Kong-based Chi-X Asia Pacific, which operates equity trading platforms in Australia and Japan, to US-based Cboe Global Markets.
Invesco leads $155m round for China's Brii Biosciences
Invesco has led a $155 million Series C round for China-focused infectious diseases drug developer Brii Biosciences.
Asian GPs prioritize portfolio resilience - Bain & Co
Three out of five GPs in Asia Pacific would be willing to forego at least 5% of near-term profit if that sum could be invested in making their portfolio companies more resilient across a range of metrics.
CMB, Mirae lead Series C for China biotech player EpimAb
Shanghai-based EpimAb Biotherapeutics has raised $120 million in Series C funding led by CMB International and Korea’s Mirae Asset Financial Group.
China drug development outsourcer raises $70m
Zhenge Biotech – a Shanghai-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for large molecule drugs – has raised $70 million in Series B funding led by Qiming Venture Partners and IDG Capital.
Blackstone bids $6.1b for Australia's Crown Resorts
The Blackstone Group has offered to acquire 100% of Australia-listed casino and hotel operator Crown Resorts for about A$8 billion ($6.1 billion).
Australia's Airwallex sees valuation hit $2.6b
Airwallex, an international payments technology provider that launched out of Melbourne, has closed a third tranche of Series D funding, taking the overall round to $300 million and its valuation to $2.6 billion.
China's Taishan Beer raises $92m
CMC Capital Group has committed RMB600 million ($92 million) in funding to Chinese domestic beer brand Taishan.
China direct lending: Creative credit
A combination of improved collateral, rising yields and robust demand is drawing investors to China’s direct lending space. Opportunities abound, but local execution remains critical
Ares & SSG: Scale proposition
The merger of Ares Management and SSG Capital is among the largest ever seen in Asian alternatives. They are now pushing into new markets and segments, leveraging the combination of size and local resources
Q&A: OMERS’ Ani Deshmukh
Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) recently backed a spinout of Olympus Capital Asia’s credit team as Orion Capital Asia. Ani Deshmukh, a director with the Canadian pension fund, explains its regional strategy
Private equity & credit: Seeking synergies
GPs are placing greater emphasis on Asia private debt strategies to capture deals that don’t work as private equity. Much can be achieved by pooling ideas and resources, but collaboration isn’t as straightforward as it seems
Bain backs China gas station platform Newlink
Bain Capital Private Equity led a $200 million investment in Newlink Group, operator of a platform that helps drivers in China locate the best value gas stations and charging piles. Joy Capital re-upped in the round.
Quadria backs Indonesia's Hermina Hospitals
Singapore’s Quadria Capital has paid an undisclosed sum for a minority stake in Hermina Hospitals, one of the largest hospital chains in Indonesia.
China autonomous driving developer Momenta raises $500m
SAIC Motor, Toyota Motor Corporation, Robert Bosch, Yunfeng Capital, and Temasek Holdings are among the investors in a $500 million Series C funding round for Chinese autonomous driving technology developer Momenta.
China cybersecurity player ThreatBook raises $77m
Beijing-based cybersecurity solutions provider ThreatBook has completed a RMB500 million ($77 million) Series E round led by CPE and featuring existing investor V Fund.
Sojitz backs Malaysia's PE-owned Qualitas Medical
Japanese conglomerate Sojitz has taken an equity interest in Qualitas Medical, a diversified Malaysia-based healthcare services provider owned by Southern Capital Group.
Australia's Adamantem acquires carbon offset company
Australia’s Adamantem Capital has acquired a controlling stake in Climate Friendly, a local carbon offset consultancy, for an undisclosed sum.
Temasek leads round for China marketing content start-up
Tezign, a Chinese start-up that serves as a content-focused one-stop marketing solutions platform, has closed a second tranche of Series C funding that takes the overall total for the round to $100 million.
China biotech makes Asia global healthcare PE leader
A more than 100% year-on-year increase in deal volume saw Asia Pacific overtake North America to become the most active global private equity healthcare market for the first time in 2020.