Regulation
Fed allows CIC to be second-largest foreign investor in Morgan Stanley
China Investment Corporation (CIC) has reportedly received the green light from the US Federal Reserve to take up to a 10% voting stake in Morgan Stanley, which would make the SWF the second-largest investor in the financial giant after Bank of Tokyo...
Wish you were here…
European nations may have deep historical ties with the Asia Pacific region, dating as far back as Marco Polo and Vasco da Gama, but European GPs have largely been late entrants to the region. European LPs, especially those with development capital mandates,...
GOME spat with founder continues
In the latest development in the ongoing feud between Bain Capital investee HKSE-listed GOME Electrical Appliances Holding Ltd. and its disgraced and imprisoned founder Huang Guangyu, Huang has apparently sought to terminate procurement and management...
China's new investment policy opens PE to insurers
China’s Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) has announced a temporary measure on the use of insurance capital which will allow insurance companies to make direct investment in private companies, as well as private equity funds, for the first time....
China's banking regulator looks at banks' PE operations
The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) reportedly held a meeting with local lenders to gather information on their private equity business, in order to check on internal controls over their activities in the segment.
Taiwan's FSC eases cross-Strait banking, VC rules
Taiwan's regulator, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), has approved new rules for local financial firms to hold controlling stakes in finance leasing or venture capital companies in China.
Bain sets conversion of GOME shares
Controversial Bain Capital investee GOME Electrical Appliances Holdings has revealed that Bain will exercise its convertible bond stake in the company before a special meeting scheduled for September 28, giving it a 10% effective position.
New Shenzhen PE rules to support local funds growth
With Shanghai and Beijing already moving to establish their local private equity fund formation rules, Shenzhen in southern China is now launching its own regulatory platform to foster local incorporation of so-called "equity investment funds".
TPG's first RMB fund targets RMB5 billion
US private equity giant TPG Capital has established its maiden RMB-denominated fund, TPG China Partners I, in agreement with the government of Pudong New Area in Shanghai Municipality, with a target size of RMB5 billion ($735.5 million).
New regulations in Europe: the perils of painting with a broad brush
While new alternative asset regulation in the US is more or less a done deal, the European attempt to accomplish the same remains stalled.
Sino-Murdoch media deal
China's second-largest media company, Shanghai Media Group (SMG) – backed by PE fund China Media Capital – is to purchase the controlling stakes of three News Corp. channels, paying Rupert Murdoch’s company an undisclosed amount for the assets. As part...
AIG looks to SWFs, PE for AIA pre-IPO stakes
Still-troubled US insurance giant AIG has approached Temasek Holdings and other - chiefly MENA - SWFs, as well as private equity firms and Chinese institutions to offer pre-IPO stakes in its Asian subsidiary AIA, according to reports.
Taiwan studies SWF plan
The Taiwanese government has set up a consultation process on plans for a potential sovereign wealth fund to manage some of the island economy's substantial state holdings, according to reports.
New private equity regulation: industry crisis averted, or postponed?
For many months now, the private equity segment in the US – whose rules and norms still set the terms for industry practice in Asia Pacific as elsewhere – has been beset by creeping insecurity.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Shanghai International Private Equity Forum
AVCJ has joined the Shanghai Private Equity Association, CEIBS Lujiazui International Finance Research Center, Shanghai Huangpu District Peoples Government, and the Institute of Finance and Banking of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as a co-organizer...
Soros seeks Dubai's BSE stake
Soros Fund Management, the investment vehicle of iconic investor George Soros, is looking to buy the 3.92% stake in the Bombay Stock Exchange held by Dubai Holdings, for around $40 million, according to reports.
New SEBI proposals could hit Indian buyouts
The takeover panel of SEBI, India's securities regulator, has proposed raising the mandatory open offer level in Indian takeovers to 100% of all of a target's shares, above a threshold of 25%, making buyouts in the country potentially far more expensive....
CIC appoints John Mack and Joseph Yam to board
The China Investment Corporation (CIC), the PRC's flagship sovereign wealth fund, has welcomed two new members onto its international advisory council: John Mack, Chairman of Morgan Stanley, who stepped down from his CEO position in January this year...
Chinatrust still in Primus Nan Shan process
A spokesperson for Taiwanese financial group Chinatrust Financial Holding, announced that the company still seeks a 30% stake in Nan Shan Life Insurance, the local unit of American International Group, currently the subject of a delayed $2.15 billion...
CIC may drop bank stability mandate
The China Investment Corporation (CIC), the PRC's $298 billion sovereign wealth fund, may relinquish its position as holding company for China's stake majority positions in its leading banks and other financial institutions, and guarantor of financial...
Japan: Spring after a long winter?
After a long winter, private equity activity in Japan is slowly but surely showing signs of recovery. In particular, mid-cap acquisitions by private equity players are reviving deal flow.
Korean government delays Woori sale
The Korean government has delayed the public announcement of its privatization plans for Woori Financial Group, owner of No. 3 Korean lender Woori Bank, likely looking to increase the value of the sale.
Private equity dodges US regulatory bullets?
A couple of much-anticipated US regulatory developments for private equity that were definitely calculated to affect the industry in Asia Pacific, and indeed, worldwide, appear to either have closed, or be on the point of closing, with relatively positive...
Regulators in a friendly mood?
Private equity in Asia Pacific has long had an ambivalent relationship with regulators and the region’s governments in general.