Europe
Australia's Brambles offloads crates business to ADIA, Triton
Australian container supplier Brambles has agreed to sell its global reusable plastic crates (RPC) business to Europe-based GP Trion and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) for $2.5 billion.
BaltCap, JBIC launch $113m Europe-Japan VC fund
Estonian private equity firm BaltCap and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have launched a EUR100 million ($113 million) Europe-Asia cross-border VC fund with a focus on Japan.
LionRock buys stake in Italian football club Inter Milan
Asian private equity investor LionRock Capital has agreed to buy a minority stake in Italian football club Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan), which has been controlled by Chinese electronics retailer Suning since 2016.
Profile: EmergeVest's Heath Zarin
Heath Zarin has taken EmergeVest out of the Asian private equity mainstream, leveraging a specialist strategy and operational expertise to create the UK’s largest private logistics business
Japan's SBI invests $15m in Swiss blockchain player
SBI Crypto Investment, a unit of Japan’s SBI Holdings formed to back digital asset-focused start-ups, has invested $15 million in Tangem, a Switzerland-based producer of blockchain smart card wallets.
Natixis merges regional PE units
The asset management business of Natixis has launched a global private equity firm by merging three existing PE affiliates, including Singaporean fund-of-funds Eagle Asia Partners.
Fosun-owned Club Med operator raises $427m in HK IPO
Fosun Tourism Group (FTG), which operates holiday resorts under the Club Méditerranée (Club Med) brand, has raised HK$3.34 billion ($427 million) through its Hong Kong IPO.
FountainVest-backed consortium makes tender offer for Amer
A consortium including FountainVest Partners and Chinese sportswear retailer Anta Sports has won board support for a EUR4.6 ($5.23 billion) tender offer for Finland-listed Amer Sports, which owns brands such as Salomon, Atomic, and Louisville Slugger.
Hong Kong's EmergeVest consolidates UK logistics assets
Hong Kong-based EmergeVest – a PE firm established by former executives from HSBC’s Asia principal investments division – has consolidated ownership of six UK logistics assets into a single platform with GBP850 million ($1 billion) in annual revenue.
Family offices: Character actors
Family offices are driven by personalities and ideals that cannot be understood as part of an industry pattern. Relationship building is therefore more intimate than transactional
LP interview: Sweden's AP2
Swedish pension fund AP2 could be about to see a significant jump in its private equity allocation. Head of alternatives Anders Strömblad outlines what the organization looks for in prospective portfolio GPs
Chinese GP buys Germany's Cordenka for $274m
BMC Europe Fund I, a PE vehicle launched earlier this year with support from Shanghai International Group (SIG), has completed its first investment with the acquisition of German industrial textiles manufacturer Cordenka for EUR240 million ($274 million).
Digital tools essential for modern day due diligence - AVCJ Forum
PE and VC investors in Asia are becoming more sophisticated in their approach to due diligence, with digital tools an increasingly important part of the skill set, the AVCJ Forum heard.
Quadrant-backed APM acquires UK-based WD Services
Advanced Personnel Management (APM), an Australian disability services provider purchased by Quadrant Private Equity last year, has acquired UK-based employment program operator WD Services.
Jungle co-leads $29m round for UK AI developer
Jungle Ventures has joined UK-based venture capital firm Lakestar to lead a $29 million Series A round for Engineer.ai, a developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software development tools.
Saudi Arabia’s PIF commits $500m to China-Russia fund
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will invest $500 million into the Russia-China Investment Fund (RCIF), a vehicle established in 2012 by China Investment Corporation (CIC) and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
KKR-owned Calsonic Kansei agrees $7.1b bolt-on
Calsonic Kansei Corporation, a Japanese automotive components manufacturer acquired by KKR last year, has agreed to buy Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) components business for EUR6.2 billion ($7.1 billion).
China looks further afield for deals as US tensions mount - M&A Forum
The escalating Sino-US trade war and tighter US regulatory scrutiny of inbound deals has promoted Chinese buyers to pursue investments in new markets, but they must be prepared to overcome opposition in these destinations as well, the China M&A Forum...
China-Europe: A sense of uncertainty
Chinese interest in European assets – from industrial technology to consumer brands – is undimmed, but certain governments, as well as the EU itself, are taking steps to protect their crown jewels
Q&A: Eurazeo's Eddie Chen
Eurazeo is a publicly-listed French private equity firm, formed in 2001 through the merger of Eurafrance and Azeo. China head Eddie Chen explains why the GP opened a Shanghai office five years ago
AGIC exits Italian robotics business for $436m
AGIC Capital, a private equity firm focused on cross-border investments, has exited its stake in Italian robotics supplier Gimatic to US-based industrial products manufacturer Barnes Group for EUR370 million ($436 million) in cash.
FountainVest pursues $5.3b European sports acquisition
A consortium including FountainVest Partners and Chinese athletics supplier Anta Sports have made a preliminary offer to acquire Finland-based Amer Sports for about EUR4.6 billion ($5.3 billion).
China’s GL commits $12.5m to UK-listed healthtech platform
GL Capital, a healthcare-focused GP based in China, has invested GBP9.75 million ($12.5 million) in UK-listed health technology platform Oxford BioDynamics (OBD) as part of a larger partnership aimed at expansion in China.
JD.com-backed Farfetch to go public in US
UK-based luxury online fashion retailer Farfetch, which has received significant funding from Asian investors including China’s JD.com, has filed for a US IPO.
