Funds
PE-backed Groupon launch in China
US-based Groupon, the group buying portal site, will be officially launched in China under the name GaoPeng.com.
Aetos takes remaining 50% in Simplex from Goldman Sachs
Aetos Capital, a US-based private equity and real estate investment firm, will turn its 50% owned Japanese real estate asset manager Simplex Investment Advisors into a wholly owned subsidiary by acquiring the other half owned by a Goldman Sachs. The US...
WI Harper appoints former Japanese Minister to board
Chinese venture capital firm WI Harper Group has appointed former Japanese Minister of State for Financial Services Heizo Takenaka to its advisory board.
Marunouchi Capital nears buyout of Seijo Ishii
Tokyo-based Marunouchi Capital, a joint venture equally owned by Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corp and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, is reportedly close to finalizing negotiations for a takeover of Seijo Ishii Co., a high-end supermarket operator in...
Alibaba Group's Taobao launches fund for developers
Days after Alibaba Group Holdings came under fire for uncovering fraudulent vendors on its B2B domain Alibaba.com, the holding company announced that its popular e-auction site, Taobao.com, would launch an RMB300 million ($45.6 million) fund to foster...
DCM, Sequoia and Legend link for education group
A consortium of venture capital firms comprising of DCM, Sequoia Capital China and Legend Capital, as well as Singapore’s Phoenix Fund, has invested $20 million into Beijing Man Xie Education Science and Technology, an education group established in 2006...
VIDEO: Clearwater Capital's Robert Petty
To critics who question the true existence of Asia's distressed asset category, Clearwater Capital's Managing Director Robert Petty suggests "looking at the reality of the statistics."
The sector specialists
Middle market deals have been a sweet spot in for PE firms in Asia, but competition in is also intense in the U.S. Sector-specific knowledge could be the key to success, as AVCJ finds out from Tony de Nicola, Co-President of Welsh, Carson, Anderson &...
The alternative perspective
Thanks to the global financial crisis, finding desirable special situation investments in Australia has been a less than arduous task. However, with economic conditions continuously improving down under, those closest to the asset class maintain that...
Sumir Chadha talks about new venture, Westbridge
After five years with Sequoia Capital, Sumir Chadha and longtime partners K.P. Balaraj, S.K. Jain and Sandeep Singhal are leaving the Indian operations of the Silicon Valley firm. The group will take their original name Westbridge, which they founded...
Alibaba.com's top execs depart following scandal
Alibaba Group, China's e-commerce behemoth that last month announced a possible tie-up with PE investors, has come under scrutiny for its alleged role in allowing fraudulent vendors to set up storefronts on its B2B domain Alibaba.com, prompting the website’s...
CIC and Blackstone enter Japan's distressed space
China Investment Corporation, China’s $300 billion sovereign wealth fund, has reportedly joined forces with US investment giant, the Blackstone Group, to purchase Morgan Stanley’s Japanese loan portfolio at a major discount, according to news reports....
Macquarie SBI nears Indian port investment - reports
Macquarie SBI Infrastructure Management is considering an INR1,000 ($220 million) investment into an unnamed Indian port manager, the Business Standard reported, which may be completed in the upcoming months from the group's nearly $1.5 billion Macquarie-SBI...
Oaktree Capital winds down global distressed fund
As global investor Oaktree Capital’s nearly $11 billion distressed opportunity fund enters its liquidation phase, a source close to the firm says Oaktree may not see another such vehicle of this size for a while, due to the changing landscape for distressed...
Swiss Asia launch infrastructure fund, makes first investment
Swiss-Asia Financial Services recently announced the launch of its new infrastructure investment product, the China District Energy Fund, with a total target size of €500 million ($678 million).
The heart of the RMB
With so many offshore investors now scrambling to launch RMB funds, the issues around the liberalization of the Chinese currency – which the US government is trying hard, with limited success to effect – longer term convertibility must be addressed.
OCBC debuts Shindoo Chemical on Shenzhen Exchange
Shindoo Chemical, a Chinese manufacturer and distributer of compound fertilizer and chemical products in China which was backed by the mezzanine arm of OCBC Bank, has debuted on at Shenzhen Stock Exchange, raising RMB 1.48 billion ($224.6 million). The...
Sequoia departures put question mark over fund's future
Four of Sequoia Capital India’s founding partners have resigned from the VC firm to set up a new fund, which will focus on domestic PIPE transactions.
VCs inject $20m into Chinese digital media firm
Oak Investment Partners has led a $20 million Series B round of growth capital financing into Beijing-based digital advertising and media aggregator Yoyi Media. Existing investors Steamboat Ventures and Gobi Partners also participated in the round.
Intel Capital backs Chinese mobile startup
Intel Capital, the VC arm of US-based Intel Group, has pledged $26 million to six mobile media startups globally, including Beijing-based Android software integrator for mobile devices Borqs Ltd.
Steven Ji made Partner at Sequoia
Managing Director of Sequoia Capital China Steven Ji has been promoted to the role of Partner, the VC major confirmed to AVCJ.
Fortress considers fund for PRC senior citizen housing
Alternative assets manager Fortress Investment Group is considering raising $1 billion for a vehicle that would focus on housing investments for China’s elderly citizens, according to the Financial Times.
Lexington Partners opens Asian office
Lexington Partners, the world’s largest secondaries manager, has recently set up a Hong Kong office. The office will be helmed by Kirk Beaton, who relocated in mid-January from the firm’s London operations.
Paul Capital hires two for India sourcing
Global secondaries investor Paul Capital has bolstered its India talent with the appointment of Anand Sunderji and Akshat Shukla as regional sourcing agents, both charged with evaluating secondary PE transactions across the market.