LPs
Texas County & District, Oregon commit to CDH Fund V
CDH has secured commitments for its fifth fund from both Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) and Oregon Investment Council. The US pension funds have agreed to invest $50 million and $75 million, respectively, in the vehicle, which launched...
New York State Common backs RRJ Capital
New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) has committed $300 million to RRJ Capital, the Hong Kong-based GP set up by Richard Ong, formerly of Goldman Sachs and Hopu Investment Management.
Australia webinar: Consistency matters
Australia's private equity industry has seen robust deal flow in recent years and LPs remain committed to the asset class, albeit to a fewer number of GPs. Industry participants expect this to continue
Washington State to invest $300m in Affinity Fund IV
Affinity Equity Partners has secured a $300 million commitment for its fourth pan-Asia fund from Washington State Investment Board. It is three times the size of the US pension system’s investment in the GP’s previous vehicle.
AVCJ launches iOS app
Those readers who were around 10 years ago are likely to have stark memories of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, the disease that struck fear into Asia's communities and temporarily laid waste to economies. Needless to say, private equity and...
Global access: Australian LPs and international PE
Australia's superannuation industry is still embroiled in a costs debate as funds decide whether a private equity strategy makes economic sense. Those sticking with the asset class are looking to go offshore
NZ Super appoints unlisted mandates manager
New Zealand Superannuation Fund has appointed Chris Jagger as manager with responsibility for unlisted mandates. He was most recently an investment director with Lloyds Development Capital in London and has previously worked at Future Fund, GI Partners,...
Virginia pension fund backs Fortress' Japan distress vehicle
Virginia Retirement System (VRS) has committed to $50 million to Fortress Investment Group’s Japan Opportunity Fund II, a distress-focused vehicle that closed last December at its hard cap of JPY130 billion ($1.65 billion).
Canada's OMERS targets Australia
Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (OMERS), one of Canada’s big three pension funds, plans to increase its exposure to Australia through investments in infrastructure and natural resources.
AVCJ Australia webinar takes place Thursday
The opportunities and challenges facing Australian private equity will be discussed by a panel of industry experts at an AVCJ webinar on February 21. It begins at 11 a.m. (2 p.m. AEST) and will last for approximately 45 minutes. Audience members will...
A platform for private equity
A few weeks ago, I met the head of private equity of one of the largest pension funds in Asia and the world. A very impressive guy with terrific insight of the market, our conversation was great (from my standpoint) until I invited him to attend (and...
New York State Teachers shuffles PE, real estate heads
New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) has appointed John Virtanen as managing director for private equity. He moves over from the system’s property portfolio, which will now be overseen by David Gillan.
SFERS hires New York State Common's Art Wang
San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS) has appointed Art Wang as managing director for private markets, with responsibility for private equity, real estate and real assets. He joins from New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) where...
CDH to reach $1b first close on Fund V by February
CDH Investments is expected to reach a first close of $1 billion on its latest fund by Chinese New Year. The Chinese GP has an overall target of $2 billion for CDH Fund V, which launched in September 2012.
PSERS to invest in Morgan Stanley PE Asia's fourth fund
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) has received a commitment of up to $100 million for its fourth fund from Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS). The pension system previously invested in global funds launched by Morgan...
BlackRock appoints head of alternatives for North Asia
BlackRock has appointed Jeong Hoon Lee as head of its alternative investment strategy group for North Asia.
OTPP in running for Leighton asset – report
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), Canada’s third-largest pension fund, is reportedly among the final bidders for NextGen, the fibre-optics business being sold by Australian contractor Leighton Holdings. The deal could be worth as much as A$870 million...
LP interview: Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund
Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) is considering the addition of alternative investments to its portfolio. It must find a balance between conservatism and the need for higher returns
Korea Teachers to invest in Hamilton Lane, Paul Capital
Korea Teachers Pension Fund (KTPF) will invest $30 million each to Hamilton Lane and Paul Capital as it looks to increase its global exposure to 15% of its overall private equity portfolio by 2018.
Massachusetts pension fund appoints PE head
The Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Board (MassPRIM) has appointed Michael Bailey as senior investment officer and director of private equity. The post was previously held by Wayne Smith, who departed in July 2011.
CalPERS sees 12% return on PE investments in 2012
The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), the biggest pension fund in the US, reported a 12.24% return on its private equity investments in 2012, compared with a sector benchmark of 28.45%.
IFC backs Lighthouse's second India SME fund
Lighthouse Funds has won a commitment of up to $25 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for its latest India-focused vehicle. The GP is targeting a corpus of $125 million for India 2020 Fund II, which will invest in small- and medium-sized...
Positive vibes spread on Korea
As I noted in a viewpoint piece last September, private equity in South Korea is seeing a revival internationally. The market has steadily worked its way back from one populated almost exclusively by local GPs – most of them subsidiaries of securities...
LPs on Asia: The risk factor
Proximity is reassuring. It shouldn't be surprising that a corporate governance scandal in Asia triggers concerns among institutional investors in North America who are far removed from the information flow and first hear the news via newspaper headlines...