Funds
SCPE seals Korean forklift partnership
Private equity opportunities in South Korea often come out of corporate restructurings by the country’s conglomerates. Samsung, Daewoo, Hyundai, SK and Lotte have in recent years all jettisoned non-core assets or problem units to lower their debt ratios,...
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...
Accel targets $125m India venture fund
Accel Partners is targeting a $125 million fund that will be dedicated to India, The Business Standard reported. The California-based venture capital firm is understood to have sounded out various large fund-of-funds about its plans.
Intel Capital leads funding round in Skyrockit
Intel Capital, with Tokyo-based Asuka DBJ Partners and an individual investor, has led a $2.6 million round of financing in mobile entertainment firm Skyrockit, to be used for the company’s product, services and personnel expansion.
Orchid closes fifth China fund at $650m
Orchid Asia has reached a final close on its fifth China private equity fund, imposing a hard cap of $650 million despite subscriptions amounting to 35% over the target size.
Chinese securities firms cleared to participate in private equity
Chinese regulators have formalized a five-year-old pilot program under which securities firms can participate in private equity, Reuters reported.
Temasek sees portfolio reach $158b for 2010-2011 fiscal year
Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund, said that its portfolio was worth a record S$193 billion ($158 million) at the end of its last financial year in March, up from S$186 billion ($152 billion) in 2010. Net profit came to...
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.
SingTel's Innov8 leads Series A investment in Dealised
Singapore-based group buying start-up Dealised has received $5.35 million in a Series A funding round led by SingTel Group’s corporate venture fund SingTel Innov8. The financing tranche also includes Australian-based venture investor Yuuwa Capital.
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.
Blackstone's new fund tipped to reach $16b
Blackstone Group is set to raise a higher-than-expected $16 billion for its latest fund due to strong investor interest, primarily from sovereign wealth funds, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. Last year, Blackstone COO Tony...
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
In the market for Asia financials
Robert Morse quit his role CEO of Citigroup’s Asia Institutional Clients Group in 2008 to become managing director, chairman and co-CEO of Primus Financial Holdings. He discusses the perks and pitfalls of investing in the financial sector.
CMIA seeks to work with China's farmers
Investment in China's agricultural sector is not easy. While the central government is keen on reform and consolidation – with a long-term view to leveraging the economies of scale that characterize farming in the West – progress is held back by land...
TPG hires Bain Capital's MD for its China team
TPG Capital has recruited Jingsheng Huang, a Shanghai-based managing director at Bain Capital, as it looks to boost its China expertise. He is expected to start his new role in late August, Reuters reported.
PAI sells Kwik Fit to Japanese conglomerate Itochu
French private equity firm PAI Partners has completed the sale of UK auto parts dealer Kwik Fit to Japanese trading conglomerate Itochu for £637million ($1 billion), which includes the acquisition of £457 million ($733 million) in debt.
Lone Star, Hana extend KEB talks to December
Lone Star will have to wait until December to sell its controlling stake in Korea Exchange Bank to South Korean financial conglomerate Hana Financial for $4.3 billion.
North American property funds dominate 2Q fundraising
North America property funds accounted for most of the $11.2 billion raised by private equity funds with a final close in the second quarter of 2011, according to research firm Preqin. Total commitments were up on the $8.9 billion raised in the first...
CDB to invest in MP Pacific Harbor Capital
China Development Bank (CDB) is poised to become a cornerstone investor in MP Pacific Harbor Capital, an Asian credit fund, as part of a wider initiative to take stakes in private equity and hedge funds.
Lexington closes largest-ever secondaries fund at $7b
Lexington Partners has closed its latest secondary fund at $7 billion, making it the largest-ever secondaries offering, Dow Jones reported, citing people familiar with the situation. The fund includes separate accounts – including one held by China Investment...
CMIA's $200m fund to focus on China agribusiness, healthcare
CMIA Capital Partners has launched its fourth growth capital fund, worth $200 million, which will primarily seek out opportunities in China, notably in the agricultural sector.
Vogo, Tstobe, MBK participate in South Korea's Woori auction
Three South Korean private equity funds, Vogo Fund, Tstone and MBK Partners, have emerged as potential bidders to purchase the government's 57% controlling stake in Woori Financial Holdings, worth an estimated $6 billion .
AgBank launches $2.3b private equity fund in Wuxi
Agricultural Bank of China and the Wuxi city government have launched a RMB15 billion ($2.3 billion) private equity fund. The AgBank (Wuxi) Private Equity Fund will receive an initial capital injection of RMB5 billion ($773 million).