LPs
Taiwan LPs: Hare and tortoise
GPs are watching with interest as Taiwan restructures its labor pension fund system, thinking of potential LP commitments. But insurers remain the most active players in the market, and they want to do more
OTPP hires Mount Kellett executive for Asia relationship investing
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) has appointed Dan Kiang as Hong Kong-based director of relationship investing, including the group’s recent commitment to Sinopec Marketing as part of a PE consortium.
Pantheon gets emerging markets mandate from Finland's VER
Pantheon has won a EUR100 million ($124 million) mandate from Valtion Eläkerahasto (VER), the Finnish state pension fund, for investments across Asia and emerging markets.
Asia PE performance: Special measures
Asian private equity has, by some accounts, failed to meet LP expectations in terms of risk-adjusted returns. With GPs under pressure to show they can be company builders, is specialization the inevitable end game?
Chinese pharma company invests $22m in TPG biotech fund
Chinese drug maker Shenzhen Hepalink Pharmaceutical, previously a highly successful PE investment for Goldman Sachs, has committed $22 million to TPG Capital’s latest biotech fund.
China Life to boost alternatives exposure
China Life has mandated one of its investment subsidiaries to deploy up to RMB150 billion ($24.5 billion) of insurance funds into alternative asset classes over the next year.
Infrastructure: Building partners
LPs are seeking to boost their exposure to Asian infrastructure through direct investment, either independently or alongside GPs. In a highly varied regional market, there is no one-size-fits-all approach
Texas County & District commits $50m to Baring Asia fund
Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) has committed $50 million to Baring Private Equity Asia’s sixth pan-regional fund, which recently reached a first close of $3.2 billion.
Neuberger Berman Japan, Korea PE commitments top $1b
Japanese and South Korean investors now account for more than $1 billion of the committed capital managed by Neuberger Berman’s private equity division.
Family ties: Asian family offices as LPs
As wealth in Asia has grown, so has the number of family offices. As these investors become more institutionalized, what can they do for private equity and what can private equity do for them?
LP interview: Malaysia's KWAP
Malaysian pension fund KWAP is adding North America and European exposure to its Asia-heavy private equity portfolio. It is ramping up commitments from a relatively low base
Korea's KIC more than doubles PE exposure in 2013
Korea Investment Corporation’s (KIC) private equity investments more than doubled in size to $2.6 billion over the course of 2013 as total assets increased 27% year-on-year to reach $72 billion.
CalPERS names new CIO
California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has announced Ted Eliopoulos as its new chief investment officer. He currently occupies the role in an interim capacity, having previously served as senior investment officer for real assets.
Hong Kong Jockey Club boosts alternatives investments
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has substantially increased its investments in alternative assets as part of efforts to diversify its holdings and achieve stronger returns.
Q&A: Employee Provident Fund's Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan
Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is a relatively new but increasingly significant part of the global PE landscape. Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, the fund's CEO, outlines the strategy
Q&A: Ekuinas' Dato' Abdul Rahman Ahmad
Part of Ekuinas' mandate is to foster the development of a domestic private equity industry in Malaysia. Dato' Abdul Rahman Ahmad, CEO of the government-supported fund, explains its approach
LPs suffer by chasing growth – AVCJ Forum
Investors in private equity funds are often preoccupied by analysis of potential growth trends and neglect close due diligence of a GP’s ability to generate value over a sustained period of time, industry participants told the AVCJ Korea Forum.
Secondaries: Deal flow spike
Secondary deal flow has reached record breaking levels in 2014. Regulatory reform and economic recovery have helped, but that is not the whole story - the maturing market is arguably more important
Korean LPs: A targeted market
From the National Pension Service downwards, Korean institutions are increasingly courted by international GPs on the fundraising trail. Building ties with these groups, formally or informally, can be difficult
Australia's Future Fund promotes infrastructure head to CIO
Australia’s Future Fund has appointed Raphael Arndt as chief investment officer. He was previously head of infrastructure and timberlands with the sovereign wealth fund.
Real assets not overpriced, if you know where to look - AVCJ Forum
There is no shortage of high-quality real assets available to private markets investors despite rising prices in certain areas, industry participants told the AVCJ Real Assets Forum. The onus is on investors to look beyond the obvious.
Fundraising: First impressions
A successful introductory meeting doesn’t guarantee LP support but it is an important first step on the road to achieving it. GPs must be informed, engaging and polished – but not too polished
Australia infrastructure: Ideal owners
Australian pension funds are keen to invest in a raft of infrastructure privatizations, with some of the proceeds earmarked for new projects. But more can be done to get long-term capital into greenfield infrastructure
Asia trails the West on operational value-add - survey
Asian private equity firms lag behind their Western counterparts on operational value add, according to a new survey.