Regulation
US court widens collusion probe of 2005-2007 mega deals
The mega “club deals” between some of the big global buyout firms during the 2005-2007 boom period have been put under wider scrutiny in a US antitrust lawsuit. The four-year-old case accuses 11 firms, including Blackstone Group and KKR, of colluding...
AVCAL releases private equity governance code
The Australian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCAL) has released a governance code designed to improve transparency in the private equity industry. The code is intended to formalize industry best practice and all AVCAL members will be...
Hony makes first QFLP investment
Hony Capital has made the first investment under Shanghai's Qualified Foreign Limited Partner (QFLP) program. The firm has reportedly agreed to invest in Shijiazhuang Hongray Group, a disposable gloves manufacturer. Financial details were not given.
Investigators seek details on all DE Shaw India deals – report
Indian investigators probing alleged foreign exchange irregularities relating to an investment made by DE Shaw have asked the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for details of all domestic entities that received funding from the private equity...
China Life to launch PE vehicle
China Life has become the first Chinese insurance company to be granted a license by domestic regulators to raise private equity and real estate funds. Under rules published by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) last September, insurers...
Australia pursues Myer profits offshore
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) tells AVCJ that it can’t comment on an ongoing legal matter. This is unfortunate because no else understands how the country’s main revenue collector picks its fights – or what message it wants to send to foreign investors....
Sino-Forest expected to default on $1.3b in debt
Sino-Forest, the Toronto-listed Chinese timber firm whose chairman and CEO resigned on Sunday after regulators expressed concerns about fraudulent activity, is expected to default on its $1.3 billion of debt.
Sino-Forest CEO resigns as regulator expresses fraud concerns
The chairman and CEO of Sino-Forest has resigned and three employees have been temporarily suspended after the Ontario Securities Commission said the company may have misrepresented its revenue statements and exaggerated its timber holdings. It added...
Australian tax authorities win right to pursue TPG over Myer
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) was won court orders to help it trace overseas funds that were distributed following TPG’s IPO exit from Myer, The Australian reported.
Indonesia bans banking sector takeovers
Indonesia’s central bank has temporarily barred takeovers in the banking sector – where there is considerable interest from foreign private equity investors – as it considers a review of ownership rules. The central bank is still drafting the policy and...
CITIC's mezzanine initiative still veiled in secrecy
The news was brief yet had potentially far-reaching consequences: the private equity arm of Chinese financial behemoth CITIC Group would launch a RMB5 billion ($777 million) renminbi-denominated mezzanine fund.
India regulation: SEBI takes a stand
The Uniqueness of India's private equity sector is a product of its own unsystematic development – a process that has been largely hands-off from a regulatory standpoint, cultivated by the professionals, emerging investors and the spinoff funds within...
China considers more tax breaks for VC firms that back SMEs
China’s State Administration of Taxation may offer more tax incentives to venture capital firms that invest in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), China Securities Journal reported, citing unnamed sources.
Indian regulator proposes new measures for funds oversight
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has published draft regulations that would tighten its control over alternative investment funds (AIFs). Vehicles specializing in private equity, venture capital, PIPE, infrastructure, real estate and...
SEBI implements new takeover rules
The Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has mandated that an investor must own at least 25% of a company in order to launch a takeover bid for that asset, up from the current 15% threshold.
Is China pushing VCs out of third-party payment?
Jack Ma is every bite the internet pioneer. In Alibaba.com, he created China’s leading business-to-business trading platform; Taobao swept aside eBay to become the number-one auction website; and the launch of Alipay, a third-party payment service, plugged...
A&P Financial wins court approval for Takefuji rehabilitation plan
Takefuji, a failed Japanese consumer lender, has finally received court approval for its rehabilitation plan. Korean firm A&P Financial, which beat the likes of Cerberus Capital Management, TPG and J Trust to win the bankruptcy administrator's backing,...
China's brokerages get the green light to launch funds
The flood of entrants into China's domestic private equity market has largely been driven by cash-rich companies, local government entities and high net worth individuals all chasing pre-IPO deals. Formal financial institutions have found themselves held...
Indonesia considers cap on foreign ownership of local banks
Indonesia is considering limits on foreign ownership of domestic banks at a time when private equity firms are keen to boost their exposure to the sector. Darmin Nasution, the central bank governor, said that the potential impact of the regulations is...
PE advisers prepare for US registration requirements
The US has adopted registration and disclosure provisions for investment advisers, leaving the private equity industry to fret about the costs and hassles of compliance
Vogo, Tstobe, MBK participate in South Korea's Woori auction
Three South Korean private equity funds, Vogo Fund, Tstone and MBK Partners, have emerged as potential bidders to purchase the government's 57% controlling stake in Woori Financial Holdings, worth an estimated $6 billion .
KKR gets green light for Saudi Arabia operation
KKR has been awarded a license to operate in Saudi Arabia. The private equity firm sees considerable fundraising potential in the country in addition to investment opportunities across the region.
SEC backs rule change requiring PE fund adviser registration
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday approved legislation mandating registration for private equity and hedge fund advisers. Under a measure that features in the Dodd-Frank Act, advisers will have to disclose information on their...
Lone Star challenges stock manipulation charges in Korean court
Lone Star will file a petition to void stock manipulation charges leveled against it and Paul Yoo, the head of its South Korea unit, Reuters reported. The move is likely to prolong the private equity firm’s sale of a 51% stake in Korea Exchange Bank (KEB)...