Funds
CVC resumes efforts to sell Japanese shoe repair chain
CVC Asia Pacific has hired Mizuho Securities to advise on the sale of shoe repair chain Minit Asia Pacific and invitations have been sent for first-round bids, according to Reuters.
Chinese online game developer to launch VC fund
Perfect World, the NASDAQ-listed online game developer, will launch a venture capital fund focusing on the technology, media and telecommunications sectors.
KKR, Sino-Ocean launch $140m real estate fund
KKR has launched a $140 million Chinese real estate fund with property firm Sino-Ocean Holdings to “capitalize on the long-term potential in China’s real estate market.“
Indiareit Fund invests in luxury residential project in Mumbai
Indiareit Fund Advisors, a private equity real estate fund backed by Indian entrepreneur Ajay Piramal, has reportedly invested INR2 billion ($43.8 million) in a luxury residential project in Mumbai, which has been developed by Omkar Realtors and Developers.
AXA, LGT buy $901m in secondary assets from German bank
AXA Private Equity and LGT Capital Partners have acquired a EUR620 million ($901 million) private equity portfolio from Germany’s HSH Nordbank. The portfolio is said to include stakes in about 47 private equity funds, including European vehicles managed...
Nomura appointed to oversee sale of Tokyo Star Bank
Lone Star Funds and its fellow creditors have hired Nomura to sell off Tokyo Star Bank, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Lone Star sold the asset to Advantage Partners (AP) less than four years ago but resumed...
Sino-Forest expected to default on $1.3b in debt
Sino-Forest, the Toronto-listed Chinese timber firm whose chairman and CEO resigned on Sunday after regulators expressed concerns about fraudulent activity, is expected to default on its $1.3 billion of debt.
ANZ linked to potential acquisitions of Tokyo Star Bank, Aozora Bank
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) is reportedly looking to acquire Lone Star-controlled Tokyo Star Bank or Cerberus-owned Aozora Bank.
India's Axis Private Equity to sell portfolio companies
India’s Axis Private Equity is reportedly negotiating the sale of Vishwa Infrastructure and Corrtech International, and plans to dilute its stake in Neesa Leisure through an IPO.
Infinity establishes RMB and USD funds in Chongqing
Infinity Group, an Israel-based privat equity firm created by China Development Bank and Israeli conglomerate IDB Group, has announced the establishment of the Chongqing arm in cooperation with the government of Chongqing's Banan district.
Switzerland’s SIFEM converts into a development finance institution
SIFEM, a Swiss fund-of-funds investor active in Asia since the 1990s, has been acquired by the government’s Swiss Confederation division and will now operate as a development finance institution.
Lexington eyes bumper deal flow
Brent Nicklas founded Lexington Partners in 1994 and currently serves as managing partner, overseeing private equity secondary and co-investment funds. He discusses global opportunities for secondary investors
Secondaries: The direct approach
The product of a secondary investment itself, Bank of America Merrill Lynch spinout NewQuest Capital has now set out its stall as Asia’s first direct secondary fund
Secondaries in Asia: Small beginnings
Global secondary investors are opening offices and forging relations in Asia, waiting for the trickle of deals to evolve into a healthy flow
Groupon’s China JV closes offices, fires staff
GaoPeng, the Chinese group buying site run as a joint venture between Groupon, Tencent Holdings and local private equity firm Yunfeng Capital, has closed offices in some cities and is laying off employees. Sources familiar with the situation told The...
SingTel Innov8 participates in Sentilla's $15m Series C round
SingTel Innov8 Ventures, the venture arm of the SingTel Group, has participated in a $15 million Series C round of financing launched by California-based Sentilla Corporation, a leading provider of IT infrastructure software. Other participants include...
Nexus Venture Partners prepares for $250m third fund
Nexus Venture Partners will reportedly launch the fundraising process for a $250 million fund early next year. It will be the private equity firm's third vehicle.
SAIF takes minority stake in Manpasand Beverages
SAIF Partners India has invested $10 million in Manpasand Beverages, a Gujarat-based juice manufacturing and marketing company.
Market volatility hits US-listed buyout firms
Publicly traded buyout firms have seen their share prices fall 19-27% so far in August, compared to a 9.5% drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. As the market troubles escalated yesterday, with the Dow retreating 3.7%, Blackstone Group, KKR, Apollo...
GSR hires former Baidu CTO as partner in Beijing
GSR Ventures has appointed Yinan Li, a serial entrepreneur who has previously served as chief technology officer at Baidu, as a venture partner. Li, 41, will be based in Beijing and focus on investments in the China wireless and internet technology spaces.
Japanese property plays
There are plenty of obstacles for foreigners targeting distressed Japanese real estate, but deal flow is slowly emerging
Funds back India’s rising cleantech sector
IDFC Private Equity and International Finance Corp. (IFC), the World Bank’s investment arm, reaffirmed their commitment to India’s clean energy sector in two separate deals announced last week. The transactions come a few weeks after a UN Environment...
AVCJ Forum: More than meets the eye
In the June 22 edition of this column, I shared a conversation with a venture capitalist about the reasons why it makes sense for VCs to attend the AVCJ Forum (www.avcjforum.com) in November. Basically, senior partners of the larger private equity and...
Tudou raises $174m in NASDAQ IPO
Venture capital-backed Chinese video site Tudou has raised $174 million through its NASDAQ IPO, surpassing the $100-150 million target it set earlier this year.