Industry
Bain preps for $2b Asia fund
Bain Capital is reportedly set to fundraise for its second Asia-focused fund - targeting $2 billion, or twice the corpus of its previous vehicle raised in 2007 – and further looks to provide a new range of options for its fund investors.
CITIC closes Japan fund
CITIC Capital Partners, the private equity arm of CITIC Capital Holdings Limited, has closed its second buyout fund dedicated to Japan with a commitment of over JPY 18 billion ($217 million), a similar size to its first fund.
Kotak Mahindra seeks $300m for infrastructure
Kotak Mahindra Group is on the road to raise $300 million for an infrastructure-focused private equity fund in India, and has already received capital commitments from Brookfield Asset Management in Toronto, Sumitomo Mitsui in Tokyo, and Kotak itself.
IDFC no longer a fund of funds
IDFC has pulled out of the private equity fund of funds business, which it entered in September 2009 under IDFC Capital. The Singapore-based FoF venture, which was headed by former ADB private equity head, Veronica John, reportedly failed to raise any...
Deal making Down Under
The 8th Annual AVCJ Private Equity and Venture Forum in Sydney brought together optimists, skeptics, GPs, LPs and the industry that makes Austrasia a hotbed of private investment activity
Fundraising – a game changed
Whether investors are intensely focused on emerging markets, just more reticent to commit capital generally, or simply waiting for more economic certainty, there is no question that fundraising for Australian funds will continue to be difficult. In speaking...
Distressed Japanese hotel closes doors
PE-backed Hotel Sendai Plaza, one of Japan’s most historic hotels in Sendai, will permanently close its doors on March 25 due to a decline in sales and hurdles related to property rental fees.
TPG, J-Trust near Takefuji takeover
U.S. buyout firm TPG Capital and Japanese consumer lender J-Trust have emerged as the lead contenders to take over the collapsed Japanese consumer lender Takefuji Co., Dow Jones reported
Mekong invests in Vietnamese chemical distributor
Mekong Capital has purchased an undisclosed stake in Vietnamese specialty chemical distribution firm Asia Chemical Corporation for $3.4 million - capital invested from the PE firm’s Mekong Enterprise Fund II Ltd. (MEF II)
Oz supers negatively impacting fundraising: Forum
While speakers acknowledge that the fundraising environment was tough inherently, GPs in Australia have expressed discontent with the stance many superannuation funds have taken on private equity, believing that it does not accurately depict the value...
AVCL "making progress" with Australia tax issues
In an interview with Katherine Woodthorpe at the 8th Annual Australia & New Zealand AVCJ Private Equity and Venture Forum, the Chief Executive of AVCAL told AVCJ that she had spent four hours with the tax department just yesterday, and that although the...
NSR Chairman Rajat Gupta charged with insider trading
Chairman and Co-Founder of New Silk Route (NSR) Rajat Gupta is being investigated for insider trading by the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging that he passed classified information, garnered through holding executive positions as Goldman Sachs...
Crosby subsidiary launch new fund
Shikumen Capital Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Crosby Capital Limited, announced the launch of a fund focusing on privately negotiated deals in Greater China, including late-stage growth capital and distressed and opportunistic...
J.C. Flowers raises stake in Shinsei Bank
US investor J.C. Flowers & Co. has reportedly upped its stake in Shinsei Bank as part of the bank’s efforts to raise an additional JPY69 billion ($842 million).
3i plans China fund
London-based private equity firm 3i is reportedly engaged in negotiations with the Chinese government to form a local fund, Cinco Dias reported.
Big is Better: Are mega funds making a comeback?
As the Asian private equity industry's biggest funds gear up for the next big round of fundraising, the question that comes to mind is “how large will Asian private equity funds become?” While Asian funds will still have a long way to go before they...
KKR raises $1 billion for China
US-based private equity major Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has reportedly raised $1 billion for its China Growth Fund. The firm launched the fund last year with a target of $800 million and a hard cap of $1 billion.
Advent ups investment in IPG
Advent Private Capital, a Melbourne-based mid market private equity group, has increased its original investment in Integrated Packaging Group (IPG), a packing specialty company in Australia, to $50 million. Advent already had a controlling stake, but...
The fundraising success story
Baring Private Equity Asia ended a global slump on fundraising when it closed its fifth fund on $2.46 billion, 60% more than its predecessor, in less than six months. AVCJ speaks with the Managing Partner on the renewed institutional interest in Asian...
China QFLP program to extend to Beijing
Months after PRC regulators approved a pilot scheme that allows overseas LPs to exchange their currencies into RMB to invest in Shanghai-incorporated private equity funds, authorities are set to extend the rule to Beijing.
Everstone set to close $550m fund
Indian PE firm Everstone Capital Partners is set to close its second fund at its planned $550 million corpus despite an influx of investor interest that has led to the vehicle’s oversubscription, an investor close to the vehicle confirmed to AVCJ.
The sector specialists
Middle market deals have been a sweet spot in for PE firms in Asia, but competition in is also intense in the U.S. Sector-specific knowledge could be the key to success, as AVCJ finds out from Tony de Nicola, Co-President of Welsh, Carson, Anderson &...
Opportunity knocks, but cautiously so
Twelve months ago, it was all sunshine and roses in Australia. The market has since rationalized and it seems GPs are still remarkably positive, while on the LP side, there are question marks around the market dynamics down under.
Super funds and private equity
Historically, Aussie superannuation funds have been fairly consistent in the way they manage private equity programs, which is also why talk about pulling back from the asset class is making waves.