Europe
Blackstone buys jewellery certification business, China's Fosun exits
The Blackstone Group has paid USD 569.7m for 100% of Belgium-headquartered jewellery certification business International Gemological Institute (IGI), taking out investors including China’s Fosun Group.
Temasek impact unit backs UK cleantech player
Singapore’s ABC Impact, a unit of Temasek Holdings, has led a GBP 20m (USD 25.2m) Series B round that will support an Asian expansion by UK-based cleantech company Polymateria.
LP interview: Stafford Capital Partners
Founded in Australia, Stafford Capital Partners evolved into a global asset manager focused on timberland and infrastructure secondaries and PE co-investment. ESG is a rising client priority
Asia-Europe investor AGIC supports Danish electronics buyout
AGIC Capital, a specialist in Europe-China cross-border deals, has backed the acquisition of PR Electronics, a Danish manufacturer of signal processing equipment with an existing base in China.
Global PE sees fundraising, performance contraction - McKinsey
Global private equity fundraising contracted 15% in 2022 as McKinsey & Company’s latest private markets annual review painted a bleak picture of the asset class, noting that one-year performance entered negative territory for the first time since 2008.
Q&A: 17Capital’s Pierre-Antoine de Selancy
17Capital is a credit provider to the private equity industry, lending against fee streams at the GP level and the fund level. Pierre-Antoine de Selancy, the firm’s managing partner, assesses the market
LP interview: North East Private Equity Asia
Seven years ago, Sam Robinson was invited to build a European family office’s Asia private equity portfolio from the ground up. He favoured familiar faces in the small to mid-cap space
Permira closes $17.6b global buyout fund
Permira has closed its latest flagship global buyout fund with EUR 16.7bn (USD 17.6bn) in commitments, a 50% increase on the previous vintage.
Data sovereignty: Compliance complex
Deglobalisation is broadening the concept of cyber risk management from simply preventing attacks to navigating a minefield of data regulations. The pressure on PE spans investment, operations, and exits
Deal focus: L Catterton hitches a ride with Tenways
Electric bicycle brand Tenways has built its business on European design capabilities and Asian manufacturing smarts. L Catterton is backing the two-year-old company to become a global leader
L Catterton joins round for e-bike player Tenways
Tenways, an electric bicycle manufacturer headquartered in the Netherlands with a strong supply chain in Asia, has raised CNY 300m (USD 44m) in Series A funding, including an extension led by L Catterton.
Deal focus: LionRock finishes polishing Clarks
LionRock Capital is exiting Clarks to its majority partner, Li Ning-owned and Hong Kong-listed Viva China, having helped the struggling British shoe brand survive the pandemic
China's CMC trims stake in City Football Group
China-based CMC Capital has exited the bulk of its remaining stake in City Football Group (CFG), a series of football clubs built around the Manchester City brand, with CMC founder Ruigang Li vacating his seat on the company’s board.
Hong Kong's LionRock exits UK shoe brand Clarks
LionRock Capital, an Asian private equity firm that invests in global consumer brands with a China growth angle, has agreed to sell its stake in British shoe brand Clarks to Viva China, a holding company controlled by Li Ning, founder of the eponymous...
Sport investment: Into the value chain
Investors are increasingly drawn to the structural nuances, sticky customer bases, and long tail of ancillary opportunities that exist around professional sports. Asia’s role is small but growing
Baring Asia, EQT plan rollout of additional Asia strategies
Mid-cap buyout has been primed as the first of multiple strategies EQT pursues in Europe and North America that will be rolled out in Asia following the completion of the firm’s merger with Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA).
Japan's Nomura launches blockchain VC unit
Japan’s Nomura Holdings has launched a business called Laser Venture Capital that will invest in companies in the blockchain and digital assets space.
Australia's Ramsay Health Care rebuffs revised KKR buyout offer
Australia-listed hospital operator Ramsay Health Care has rejected an alternative buyout proposal from a KKR-led consortium after progress with the initial bid was slowed by the need to conduct due diligence on Ramsay Santé, the company’s separate...
Energy transition case study: Axilone
Energy accounts for a relatively small portion of cosmetics packaging producer Axilone’s overall costs, but rising prices in Europe prompted owner Trustar Capital to accelerate transition efforts
Navis exits medical cold chain player to US strategic
Navis Capital Partners has sold 100% of B Medical Systems, a Luxembourg-based biotech cold chain provider with significant Asian operations, at an enterprise value of EUR 460m (USD 469m).
Baring Asia exits Cath Kidston to UK turnaround investor
Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) has exited Cath Kidston, a UK lifestyle retailer that underwent a restructuring during the initial phase of COVID-19, to turnaround investor Hilco Capital.
China outbound: Organic options
Tough domestic competition is encouraging Chinese tech start-ups to expand overseas – often organically, earlier in their lifecycles than before, and despite regulatory concerns
GP profile: EmergeVest
Building on unorthodox roots and a highly concentrated portfolio, EmergeVest wants to establish itself as a global-minded Asia specialist in technology-enabled supply chains
Fund focus: MassMutual Ventures widens remit
Having started a Southeast Asia specialist, MassMutual Ventures has broadened its regional coverage to include everything outside of China. Europe is also part of the equation for Fund III