Australasia
A heavy hand
In an industry seemingly obsessed with global standards, the Australian government's requirement that superannuation funds publish the full details of their portfolio holdings on a look-through basis was a step away from the norm. The delays in its implementation...
Australian agriculture: Mean fields?
The Australasian agricultural space is increasingly interesting to LPs that want an inflation hedge and a proxy to rising demand for quality food in emerging Asia, but local superannuation funds are slow to bite
Sentient supports Papua New Guinea mining project
Marengo Mining has received a $3 million loan from its major shareholder, private equity firm The Sentient Group, to develop a copper-gold project in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Insight breaks records with Campaign Monitor
When you consider the sheer scale of the opportunity, it is perhaps no surprise to learn that Australia's largest-ever tech VC investment to date - which took place earlier this month - involved a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company.
Australia's Gresham PE exits freight business to McAleese
Silk Logistics Group, which is owned by Australian GP Gresham Private Equity’s portfolio, has sold its last operating division, WA Freight Group (WAFG), to McAleese for A$15.4 million.
PEP-owned Spotless targets $928m IPO
Spotless Group, the Australia and New Zealand-focused cleaning and catering contractor bought by Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) in 2012, is seeking to raise approximately A$1 billion ($928 million) through an IPO.
INCJ-backed JV acquires NZ-based packaging business
A Japanese joint venture - 40% owned by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) - has acquired the pulp, paper and packaging (PPP) unit of New Zealand-based forest products company Carter Holt Harvey (CHH) for just over NZ$1 billion ($857 million).
VIDEO: Sebastiaan van den Berg of HarbourVest Partners
Australia is a consistent source of buyout deals for pan-Asian funds but its share of the regional total is falling in percentage terms as GPs source larger ticket deals in other markets, according to Sebastiaan van den Berg, managing director at HarbourVest...
Australia’s PEP reaches $1b first close on Fund V
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has reached a first close of just under A$1.1 billion ($1 billion) on its fifth fund. The Australian GP is targeting A$2 billion in core equity, which will be supplemented by co-investment from a handful of sophisticated...
Insight Venture commits $250m to Australia's Campaign Monitor
Insight Venture Partners has invested $250 million in Campaign Monitor, an Australian business that makes software for email-marketing campaigns.
1Q analysis: Big fish, small fish
Country fund stars, China VCs make their mark on fundraising; the trade sale spike won't be sustained and the IPO surge may falter too; South Korean buyouts continue to create headlines
Australia's PE-backed IPOs outperform wider market - study
Private equity-backed IPOs in Australia have out-performed comparable non PE-backed listings over both short- and long-term horizons, according to a new study.
Blue Star on consolidation path
It is difficult to capture the scale of Australia’s printing industry given the amount of activity that takes place outside of the traditional silos. The data points highlighted by the national industry association, however, do not make for comforting...
Standard Chartered backs Australia-listed manganese miner
Standard Chartered Principal Finance has provided a $50 million debt financing package for OM Holdings (OMH), an Australian Securities Exchange-listed mining company, and several of its affiliates.
Wolseley's Blue Star targets Australia printing consolidation
Blue Star Group, an Australian printing and communications specialist owned by Wolseley Private Equity, has agreed to merge with Independent Print Media Group (IPMG) to form the country’s largest printing company.
LanzaTech forms Asian alliance
LanzaTech is a classic example of how a disruptive technology can attract investors from different geographies. Originally from New Zealand, the company has developed a technology for converting carbon dioxide into fuel and chemical products. This kind...
EQT scans I-Med opportunity
When EQT made its first move to acquire Australian radiology provider I-Med, the first challenge was to build trust with the company’s management. The business had already been through a number of financial investors’ hands and it had not been an...
A tale of two markets
“The IPO market around the world is inherently a cyclical entity and it is unwise and unrealistic to expect it to always be open,” H. Chin Chou, CEO of Morgan Stanley PE Asia, told an AVCJ webinar last year. “At some point the market will come back...
PEP, Unitas file counter claim over Independent Liquor sale
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Unitas Capital have filed a cross claim against two senior Asahi executives in Australasia regarding their involvement in the Japanese company’s purchase of Independent Liquor from the private equity firms in 2011.
Mitsui leads $60m round for NZ cleantech play LanzaTech
Japan's Mitsui & Co has led a $60 million Series D round for New Zealand-based low-carbon fuels producer LanzaTech.
CHAMP PE gets GE financing for Accolade Wines expansion
CHAMP Private Equity has secured $300 million in cross-border financing from GE Capital International for Accolade Wines, the firm behind mass-market brands such as Hardys and Banrock Station.
Valar, SquarePeg lead $20m round for New Zealand’s Vend
Vend, a New Zealand-based point-of-sale software provider, has received NZ$25 million ($20 million) in Series B funding. The round was co-led by Valar Ventures, an investment vehicle run by PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel, and...
EQT confirms acquisition of Australia's I-Med
EQT Partners has confirmed its acquisition of Australian radiology provider I-Med Network Radiology alongside Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec of Canada and Singapore's GIC Private.
NZ Super commits $250m to KKR energy investments
New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZ Super) has committed up to $250 million to oil and gas investments in North America through a partnership with KKR.