Industry
Tech-focused US M&A advisor sets up in Seoul
J. Moore Partners, a technology-focused investment bank based in San Francisco, has opened an office in Seoul as part of plans to expand into Asia. It claims to be the first US technology M&A advisory firm to establish a presence in the city.
CVC backs Australia's Mantra in Asia expansion
CVC Capital Partners will back Australian hotel group Mantra as it expands into Indonesia, Thailand and Papua New Guinea.
Standard Chartered's financial sponsors head gets Indonesia role - report
The head of Standard Chartered’s financial sponsors group in Hong Kong, Sarab Bhutani, has reportedly been appointed co-head of wholesale banking for Indonesia. He will be responsible for deal origination and client coverage.
China Renaissance targets $750m for fund III
China Renaissance Capital Investment (CRCI) is targeting $750 million for its third fund. China Harvest Fund III will make growth capital investments in Chinese companies, taking equity stakes of up to $75 million.
Jungle Ventures launches $10m 'super angel' fund
Jungle Ventures, a Singapore-based investment firm, has launched a new "super angel” fund, which has raised an initial $10 million to be invested in start-ups across Asia.
LP interview: Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) is arguably the most aggressive direct investor in Asia among the North American pension funds. The strategy is designed avert a funding shortfall at home
Asian private equity: Education never ends
It is common knowledge that Asian private equity has been going from strength to strength, generating returns that compare increasingly favorably to those of Western Europe and the US. Indeed, recent figures published by Cambridge Associates suggest that...
VCs invest $1.2m in Japanese website Retty
GREE ventures, NTT investment Partners and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have jointly invested JPY100 million ($1.2 million) into Retty, a Japanese social restaurant guide.
CVC-backed Nine avoids receivership as lenders reach agreement
Lenders to CVC Capital Partners-backed Nine Entertainment, the beleaguered Australian TV network, have reached an agreement to save the company from being put into administration.
Australia's Kaz Capital to launch venture fund
Australian boutique financial advisor Kaz Capital is planning a venture fund that will support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in need of expansion capital. The company claims to have received conditional regulatory approval to establish an...
PE-backed Samhi invests in Accor-owned Indian hotel chain
Samhi Investments has acquired a 60% stake in Barque Hotels, the company that owns 15 Formule 1 hotels in India, from French hospitality group Accor.
TPG, Affinity-backed UTAC seeks to refinance debt – report
United Test & Assembly Center (UTAC), the Singapore precision engineering firm owned by TPG Capital and Affinity Equity Partners, is said to be seeking to refinance a portion of its debt through a $600 million bond issue.
PE consortium in $330m take-private bid for China's Yongye
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) and Abax Global Capital are backing a $330 million bid by the chairman of Yongye International to take private the US-listed Chinese animal and plant feed maker.
Japan's J-Star sees 3x return on Apo Plus Station
Mid-market Japanese GP J-Star has sold its majority stake in the pharma-focused contract sales company Apo Plus Station (APS) to Qol, a Tokyo-based pharmaceutical firm.
Norton Rose nabs Lucas from Baker & McKenzie
International law firm Norton Rose has appointed Andrew Lucas as a partner in its corporate team based in Bangkok. He joins from Baker & Mackenzie’s Beijing office, where he was also a partner.
Shares in Baring-backed Courts up 7.1% following IPO
Shares in Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) portfolio company Courts Asia rose by more than 7% following its Singapore IPO last Monday.
CITIC Securities targets up to $1.6b for RMB fund
CITIC Securities is targeting RMB5-10 billion ($798 million to $1.6 billion) for its first private equity fund, most of which will come from Chinese institutions, including government agencies. The vehicle will buy stakes in companies involved in M&A...
White & Case appoints three new partners in Asia
White & Case has appointed three new partners in Asia, including Jonathan Olier, a member of the law firm's M&A practice in Singapore. He specializes in private equity buyouts and restructurings as well as cross-border mergers and acquisitions.
Azure Capital launches $94m property fund
India's Azure Capital is raising an INR5 billion ($94.10 million) real estate private equity fund that will target commercial properties across the top seven cities in the country. The new vehicle - India Realty Fund II (IRF2) – will be raised completely...
Baker & McKenzie names new PE chair, confirms McNamara departure
Baker & McKenzie has appointed Simon Hughes as chair of its global private equity group, in place of Sydney-based Mark McNamara. A spokesperson for Baker & McKenzie also confirmed that McNamara is leaving the firm.
Asian PE fundraising slips in 3Q as RMB vehicles struggle
Asian private equity fundraising reached $10.8 billion in the third quarter of 2012, continuing a downward trend that stretches back 12 months, according to provisional data from AVCJ Research. Renminbi-denominated fundraising experienced the most acute...
Cambridge Associates opens fourth Asia-Pacific office
Cambridge Associates has opened a second office in Singapore. It will support the firm's existing consulting and investment practices in Beijing, Singapore and Sydney, as well as five locations in the US and UK.
Longreach eyes corporate carve-outs
After more than 800 days in the market, Longreach Capital Partners 2 reached a final close on September 30. It has been a challenging process that required the target corpus to be scaled back from $750 million to $400 million – but the fund is also largest...
3Q analysis: The bottom falls out of RMB fundraising
China US dollar funds attract more capital than renminbi vehicles; trade sales and secondary buyouts continue to gather pace; positive early signs for China buyouts