North Asia
Highland Capital appoints Korea BD director
Highland Capital Management has appointed Jun Park as director of business development in South Korea, with a brief to explore investment opportunities in the country.
Korea Teachers Pension Fund appoints new CIO
Korea Teachers Pension Fund (KTPF) has named Park Min Ho as its new CIO, replacing Yun Kyu Lee who is leaving the group. Park was previously head of investment strategy at KTPF.
Japan restructuring opportunities on the rise – PE survey
Japan is expected to emerge as a hotspot for restructuring over the next 12 months as domestic industries consolidate and foreign multinationals reassess their activities in a weak and demographically challenged consumer market. South Korea and Japan...
Cerberus extends tender for Seibu shares
Cerberus Capital Management is to extend the deadline to buy more shares in Japan's Seibu Holdings until May 31. The US private equity firm, already the largest shareholder in Seibu with a 32.44% stake, has been trying to boost its holding to 44.7% through...
Japan's Globis reaches $78m first close on Fund IV
Tokyo-based venture firm Globis Capital Partners has reached a first close on its fourth fund a JPY8 billion ($78 million). Globis Fund IV, will focus on Japanese companies looking to capitalize on high-growth Asian markets as well as those in the domestic...
Cerberus to secure around one third of Japan's Seibu - report
Cerberus Capital Management is expected to hold more than one third of Japan's Seibu Holdings following a takeover bid set to expire tomorrow.
Samsung Venture leads $15m round for Taiwan Ubitus
Samsung Ventures, the VC arm of Korea’s Samsung Group, has led a new round of funding worth $15 million for Taiwanese cloud gaming firm Ubitus.
Japan’s Indonesian ambitions
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) is paying a princely sum for a slice of Indonesia's financial services sector. The price-to-book (P/B) valuation of the $1.56 billion it has agreed to pay for a 40% stake in Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN)...
Japan's New Horizon, Integral bullish on fundraising
Japan's New Horizon Capital is considering enlarging its second fund against a backdrop of improved investor sentiment in the country. Integral Corp. cites similar reasons for the strong response to its own second fund, which is expected to reach a final...
Japan's Takeda buys Singapore biopharma start-up
PE-backed Singapore biopharmaceutical start-up Inviragen is to be acquired by Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical for $250 million.
Saban Capital plans to triple Asia portfolio
Saban Capital is looking to triple its investments in Asia over the next two years with a focus on the media and communications space.
JBIC to commit $25m to Mizuho ASEAN fund
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will commit up to $25 million to Mizuho's new ASEAN-focused private equity fund.
Portfolio: Bain Capital and Domino's Pizza Japan
The US consumer cred of Domino’s Pizza means little in Japan where consumer tastes and cultural norms are very different to the West. Bain Capital took an innovative approach to cornering a competitive sector
Carlyle launches Japan fund with $2b target - report
Carlyle is said to have launched its latest Japan-focused buyout fund with a target of $2 billion.
Hahn & Co. to buy stake in South Korea’s STX Energy - UPDATE
Hahn & Co. has agreed to buy a 43.15% stake in STX Energy, a subsidiary of beleaguered South Korean conglomerate STX Corp. AVCJ understands that the transaction a couple of months away from completion, and the terms could change pending the resolution...
Korea's Kakao, government to launch start-up fund
South Korean mobile app developer Kakao has teamed up with the South Korean government to launch a KRW30 billion ($27 million) fund aimed at supporting start-ups. The Small & Medium Business Administration (SMBA) will back the Kakao Young Entrepreneur...
Intel Capital backs South Korean mobile tech maker
Intel Capital, the US chipmaker's corporate VC arm, has invested an undisclosed amount in Zinitix, a South Korean developer of touchscreen controller technology for mobile devices. The funding will help the company expand into other rapidly growing markets...
Japanese corporate pension funds boost alternatives exposure – J.P. Morgan
Japanese corporate pension funds are looking to increase their exposure to alternative assets - including private equity - according an annual survey by J.P. Morgan.
Fortis, Next Invest exit Belgian ink maker to Japan’s Toyo
Fortis Private Equity and Next Invest have sold their 100% stake in Belgian ink manufacturer, Arets International, to Japan’s Toyo Ink Group for EUR10 million ($13 million).
CVC, MBK among final bidders for ING Korea unit - report
CVC Capital Partners and South Korean PE firm MBK are among the last five bidders to begin preliminary due diligence as they consider an offer for at least 51% stake in the Korean unit of Dutch insurance firm ING Groep.
JAIC spin-out seeks VC secondaries
Private equity secondary exits have seen a resurgence in Japan in the last two years, with more than $5.3 billion transacted. In only one year previously - 2007 - has deal value surpassed $1.3 billion. For two groups of industry participants, the prospects...
Fenox, IMJ to invest in SE Asian, Japanese start-ups
Silicon Valley's Fenox Venture Capital and Japanese mobile solution provider IMJ Corporation have jointly established IMJ Fenox Pte with a view to investing in mobile, Internet and software technologies in Southeast Asia, Japan and the US.
Ex-JAIC boss to launch Japan secondaries fund
Former JAIC CEO Moriyoshi Matsumoto, who was responsible for the group’s secondaries business, has spun out to create an independent secondary investment platform. WM Partners is targeting up to JPY10 billion ($102 million) for its debut fund, with...
The Abe effect: Japan's economic reforms
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has unveiled aggressive economic reforms, sending the country's stock market up and its currency down. PE can benefit but longer-term change would be even more helpful