LPs
Singapore's Venturi achieves first close on consumer fund
Venturi Partners, a Singapore-based consumer-focused investment firm established by a former Verlinvest executive in the region, has completed a $100 million first close on its debut fund.
LPs see no let-up in pace of new commitments - survey
More than half of LPs continue to establish new GP relationships at the same rate as before the pandemic, according to the latest installment of Coller Capital’s global private equity barometer survey.
Asia secondaries: Continuation conundrum
The rapid ascent of single-asset continuation vehicles in the US and Europe might be emulated in Asia, but investors are approaching the market with measured optimism
DFC backs Openspace, Chiratae funds
The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) – formerly the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) – has made commitments to funds being raised by Southeast Asia-focused Openspace Ventures and India’s Chiratae Ventures.
Fund focus: Unicorn does the hard yards
Six-year-old Unicorn Capital Partners has closed its latest China VC vehicle at the hard cap of $450 million, proving there is demand for fund-of-funds that offer something different
Myanmar: Asia’s anguish
Myanmar has proven unique among Asia’s frontier markets in terms of volatility and risk. As its ongoing humanitarian and political catastrophe deepens, a sense of helplessness has taken root
LP interview: OMERS
Canadian pension fund OMERS, an established infrastructure investor in Asia, is beginning to make its mark regionally in private equity. Post-pandemic China has provided a foothold
LPs look for signs of maturity in Vietnam PE - AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors are encouraged by the progress Vietnam has made in terms of macroeconomic stability and ease of doing business, but they are still waiting for the local private equity ecosystem to reach its next level of maturity.
Yale's David Swensen dies aged 67
David Swensen, head of the Yale University endowment who pioneered a new approach to institutional investment management, has died aged 67 following a long battle with cancer.
OCIO Partners Capital recruits Asia co-head
Global outsourced investment office (OCIO) Partners Capital has appointed Emmanuel Pitsilis, formerly a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, as managing director and co-head of Asia Pacific.
Asia credit fundraising: Middle muddle
Various structural tailwinds are driving the development of Asia’s middle-market private credit space. This doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to raise funds for the strategy
KKR reaches $15b final close on fourth Asian fund
KKR has closed its fourth pan-Asian fund at $15 billion – the largest US dollar-denominated private equity vehicle ever raised for the region and the largest raised by KKR globally by number of LPs.
CDC, FMO, SDC launch Nepal investment platform
European development finance institutions CDC Group and FMO and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) have jointly launched a market building platform in Nepal.
Q&A: OMERS’ Ani Deshmukh
Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) recently backed a spinout of Olympus Capital Asia’s credit team as Orion Capital Asia. Ani Deshmukh, a director with the Canadian pension fund, explains its regional strategy
Fund focus: Openspace says it with distributions
Openspace Ventures launched its $200 million third fund comfortable in the knowledge that the first two were top-quartile performers. IPOs, trade sales and partial secondary exits have all played a role
Shariah investors in PE: Tailored exposure
Employees Provident Fund’s $600 million shariah-compliant co-investment mandate suggests increasing institutional appetite for Islamic finance solutions in private equity. Is the industry ready?
ESG scoring: Measured approach
Investors are encouraged to keep experimenting in quantifying and qualifying the real-world outcomes of their sustainable investment programs. Every report is imperfect yet worthwhile
LP interview: Sun Hung Kai & Co
Lindsay Wright, CEO of the newly launched funds management unit at Sun Hung Kai & Co, is helping reposition a Hong Kong financial services mainstay as an alternatives investor
Profile: Cook Islands Super's David Brown
In 2015, David Brown swapped a career as an LP in Australia for a similar vocation in the Pacific Islands. Despite leaving his comfort zone – and getting charged and then cleared of fraud – he’s keen for more
Singapore's Azalea launches PE-backed bond offering
Temasek Holdings-owned Azalea Asset Management plans to sell S$250 million ($186 million) worth of bonds – backed by LP interests in private equity funds – to retail investors in Singapore.
Temasek agrees $500m tie-up with impact investor LeapFrog
Temasek Holdings has committed $500 million to Asia and Africa-focused impact investor LeapFrong Investments, which will see it participate as an anchor LP in the firm’s future funds.
KIC appoints new private equity head
Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) has appointed Sungjun Song as head of its private equity division.
GPs & SPACs: Filthy lucre?
The global SPAC craze is percolating into Asia, with private equity firms among the sponsors. LPs aren’t necessarily comfortable with the development, but there’s only so much they can do about it
China VCs back See Fund's debut vehicle
See Fund, an investment firm established by the founder of Chinese artificial intelligence chip start-up DeePhi Technology, has raised RMB200 million ($31 million) for its debut fund.