Advisory
Portfolio company boards: Gurus wanted
Filling board seats for portfolio companies is more art than science in both private equity and venture capital. Investors must approach the challenge with flexible playbooks
AlixPartners hires managing director for Shanghai office
AlixPartners, an advisory firm specializing in turnaround deals, has expanded its Greater China practice with the appointment of Ford Motor Company's Stephen Dyer (pictured) as a managing director in Shanghai.
In scope: Asian fund managers and Cayman
Asian private equity firms may start moving their fund management entities away from the Cayman Islands due to new economic substance requirements. Is Hong Kong ready to accept them?
LPs ramp up emerging markets due diligence efforts - survey
Private equity investors in emerging markets are expanding the scope of their manager due diligence, driven by the weaknesses exposed in the demise of Abraaj Group as well as by increasing emphasis on environment, social, and governance (ESG) protocols.
Bain & Co appoints new SE Asia, Australia heads
Bain & Company has named new managing partners for its businesses in Southeast Asia and Australia. The appointments come a month after the consulting firm announced a new Asia Pacific head.
China's foreign investment law: A level playing field?
China’s new foreign investment law appears to make life easier for overseas investors in some areas, but uncertainty remains in others. Industry participants are waiting for more details to emerge in 2020
Acuris buys Asian investigations firm Blackpeak
Blackpeak, an Asia-based investigative research firm that counts a number of PE players among its clients, has been acquired by Acuris, the parent company of AVCJ.
Bain & Co names new Asia Pacific head
Bain & Company has appointed Satish Shankar as regional managing partner for Asia Pacific, replacing Dale Cottrell, who has held the position for the past six years.
Hong Kong promises better tax deals, fund structures for PE
Hong Kong will consider altering its tax regime to encourage private equity firms to operate in the territory as well as offering more choice on fund structure through the introduction of a new limited partnership regime.
Asia GP-led secondaries hit record high in 2018
An increase in GP-led transactions propelled Asia secondary market volume to $7.8 billion last year, and more of the same is expected in 2019 – once managers have adjusted their mark-to-market valuations following fourth-quarter volatility in the public...
Hong Kong tax: Playing catch-up
Hong Kong is introducing various initiatives intended to encourage private equity firms to bring more of their operations onshore. A failure to act may see Singapore emerge as Asia’s jurisdiction of choice
StepStone adds partner in Beijing
StepStone Group, a provider of private markets advisory and asset management services to institutional investors, has promoted Beijing-based Vincent Hsu to partner.
GP due diligence: Stones unturned
The expansion of private equity activity in developing markets is translating into greater due diligence pressure on LPs seeking reliable fund managers. Solutions are intuitive but difficult
Bain & Co's Suvir Varma joins Campbell Lutyens as advisor
Placement agent Campbell Lutyens has appointed Suvir Varma, until recently head of Bain & Company’s financial investor practice in Asia Pacific, to its global advisory board.
PE industry cautiously optimistic on Hong Kong tax reforms
Industry participants have praised steps taken by the Hong Kong government to make it easier for private equity firms to operate locally, while cautioning that challenges remain regarding the regulation of managers in the territory.
Natixis merges regional PE units
The asset management business of Natixis has launched a global private equity firm by merging three existing PE affiliates, including Singaporean fund-of-funds Eagle Asia Partners.
SGG acquires PE fund administrator Augentius
Private equity and real estate fund administrator Augentius has been acquired by SGG Group, an investor services provider to alternative asset managers, corporations, and high net worth families.
Hong Kong to amend unpopular PE tax exemption
Hong Kong plans to amend the tax exemption for private equity funds, which was introduced in 2015 with a view to making it easier for GPs to operate locally but has been criticized by industry participants as unworkable.
PE and SMEs: Southeastern bind
Difficulties connecting private equity investors with small to medium-sized enterprises in traditional industries remain a key barrier to growth in Southeast Asia. Novel approaches will be necessary
Digital tools essential for modern day due diligence - AVCJ Forum
PE and VC investors in Asia are becoming more sophisticated in their approach to due diligence, with digital tools an increasingly important part of the skill set, the AVCJ Forum heard.
GP-LP communication key to effective ESG policy – AVCJ Forum
Continued uptake of meaningful environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies in private equity will depend on fostering deeper dialogue on the subject between GPs and LPs, according to industry participants at the AVCJ ESG Forum.
Operational value-add: Sign of the times
Budding interest in operational value-add marks a new level of maturity in Asian private equity. Trial-and-error experimentation has progressed slower than the macro motivators
China outbound deal structure: Risk factors
Many Chinese A-share companies have wholeheartedly pursued outbound acquisitions, sometimes bringing in local PE funds for support. But integrating the target into the listed vehicle can be problematic
Asia leveraged finance: Institutional aspirations
PE firms can obtain financing for leveraged buyouts in Asia on increasingly favorable terms, but this doesn’t necessarily point to institutionalization – or at least, not yet. For now, banks still lead the way
