Investments
Bain: GDP doesn’t indicate private equity capacity
The number of large companies in a country, not the size of its economy, is the most important indicator of a market’s capacity to absorb private equity capital, according to Bain & Company. Other key factors include the depth and liquidity of capital...
IREIFS Partners re-opens Bangkok office
Paris-based IREIFS Partners Private Equity is reopening its offices in Bangkok to tap opportunities in Thailand’s tourism industry, six years after withdrawing from the market.
CIC gets $30b government injection
China Investment Corp. (CIC) has received an additional injection of $30 billion from the Chinese government. The new capital will give the sovereign fund the firepower to invest overseas, particularly in Europe.
VinaCapital takes full control of BTS towers builder
Vietnam Infrastructure Limited (VNI), a VinaCapital closed-end fund trading on London Stock Exchange sub-market AIM, has increased its stake in in VNC-55 Infrastructure Investment to 100%. VNC-55 specializes in building and leasing Base Transceiver Station...
PAG commits $250m to Chinese pharma company
PAG Asia has invested $250 million in Shaanxi–based Bicon Pharmaceutical Holdings, becoming its largest investor, according to a statement released by the pharma company on Tuesday.
An Australian-Asian story
Australia is the exception in Asian private equity: a market in which buyouts are routine, leveraged finance is readily available and entry and exit activity is relatively transparent. It is, one is tempted to say, Japan without the intrigue and inscrutability.
Oak Investment backs Chinese online shopping engine
B5M, a Chinese shopping online platform, has raised $7.1 milion through a Series A funding round led by Oak Investment Partners and e-commerce platform operator Giosis Holdings.
IncuCapital backs EFactor’s expansion in India
IncuCapital has reached an agreement to launch EFactor, a major global entrepreneurial community platform, in India, in a bid to generate business network opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
Asia’s aspirational brands: It’s how you pick ‘em
Should we be surprised that L Capital, the private equity arm of luxury goods giant LVMH, thinks its Asia operations have the capacity to handle a $1 billion fund? Given the scale of consumer sector opportunities in the region, not really. But a more...
High India pharma valuations price PE firms out of the market
With strategic investors drawn to India’s rapidly growing pharma sector, private equity players must either go niche or get out
Q&A: Intel Capital's Keith Larson
Keith Larson, vice president and managing director for Intel Capital’s manufacturing sector investments, talks to AVCJ about how and where Asia is gaining an edge in the global technology space
Banyan Tree invests $15m in Dilip Buildcon
Banyan Tree Growth Capital, a $100 million private equity fund that provides capital to middle-market Indian firms, has invested INR750 million ($15 million) in Bhopal-based infrastructure company Dilip Buildcon.
First Eastern backs Sustainable Development Capital
First Eastern Investment Group, a Hong Kong-based investor with interests in private equity and venture capital, has acquired a minority stake in Sustainable Development Capital (SDCL). The two firms have also set up an Asia-focused joint venture.
Jacob Ballas commits $20m to Indian engineering company
Jacob Ballas Capital India has aggreed to pay INR1 billion ($20.29 million) for a minority stake in DBM Geotechnics and Constructions, an Indian engineering infrastructure firm.
Chinese outbound investment to top $800b by 2016
Chinese outbound investment will expand by $800 billion over the five years to 2016, according to A Capital, a private equity firm focused on cross-border transactions involving Chinese companies. The cumulative value of outbound deals has risen tenfold...
L Capital invests in Chinese fashion company - updated
L Capital Asia, the private equity unit of multinational luxury giant LVMH, has invested $200 million in Trendy International Group, a Chinese casual-wear company, contrary to an earlier report in the South China Morning Post that put the price at $2...
L Capital expands China portfolio with $2b investment
L Capital Asia, the private equity unit of multinational luxury giant LVMH, has reportedly purchased a 10% stake in China fashion company Ochirly for US$2 billion. It is another indication of the brand’s ambition to expand its portfolio in the world's...
CalSTRS considers separate accounts strategy
California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) is considering making separate account commitments to private equity firms. A similar strategy has already been employed by other pension funds like Texas Teachers’ Retirement System and New Jersey...
CDC appoints ex-Actis partner head of direct investment
CDC Group, the UK development finance institution that targets private equity investments in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, has appointed Mark Pay to head up its direct investments division. Pay is rejoining the group, having departed in 2004 as part...
Actis launches tool to assess impact of energy investments
Emerging markets private equity firm Actis has unveiled a tool for assessing the sustainability of its energy investments. It aims to capture the key drivers that build value and pinpoint where improvements could be made.
Ownership issues trouble state-backed PE firms
Chinese private equity firms that count government-related entities among their shareholders face uncertainty over their financial obligations to the state
Elara Capital to launch India-focused healthcare fund
Elara Capital, a UK-based financial services company, is in talks with a counterpart in Dubai with a view to launching a private equity fund that will target healthcare investments in Asia and Africa. India will be a particular area of focus given Elara’s...
Beacon India acquires 1.3% stake in PE-backed construction firm
Beacon India Private Equity Fund, a $200 Million Indian growth capital vehicle, has acquired a 1.3% stake in NCC, a listed construction and infrastructure enterprise backed by The Blackstone Group and ChrysCapital Advisors. The transaction is worth INR216.4...
Hutchison Whampoa to acquire Orange Austria
Hutchison 3G, a unit of Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa, agreed to acquire Orange Austria, a mobile telecommunication company owned by France Telecom and buyout firm Mid-Europa Partners.