North Asia
Activism not yet a key driver of Korean corporate divestments - AVCJ Forum
Shareholder activism is becoming more prevalent in Korea among the country’s chaebol groups, but it still trails distress sales and divestments of non-core divisions as sources of private equity deal flow.
Korean LPs prepare for a downturn - AVCJ Forum
Korean institutional investors are reviewing their alternatives allocations – and focusing new commitments on more liquid strategies such as credit – in anticipation of a correction in global markets.
MBK to sell stake in Korean life insurer for $2b
MBK Partners is set for a full exit from ING Life Korea – now known as Orange Life Insurance – after agreeing to sell its majority stake to Shinhan Financial Group for KRW2.29 trillion ($2.04 billion).
KKR strengthens Japan private equity team
KKR has hired Kazuyuki Kido, who previously spent 20 years at SMBC Nikko Securities and Nikko Principal Investments, as a managing director in its Tokyo-based team.
Japan Post backs $94m round for US-based Cloudian
Japan Post Investment Corporation (JPIC), a direct investment unit launched by Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance earlier this year, has joined a $94 million round for Japan-founded and US-based data company Cloudian.
CLSA Capital buys Japanese real estate services platform
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has acquired House Partner Holdings, a real estate services provider focusing on apartment rental agencies in the Greater Tokyo area.
Korea buyouts: Local edge
Private equity firms must double down on local networking, due diligence, and value-add capacity as competition for deals intensifies in the Korean buyout market
Korea tender offers: Bidding on winners
Tender offers have long been overlooked in South Korea’s PE toolbox, where their traditional use in privatization deals seems to have little value. Local GPs may be able to adapt them to the market’s needs
Korean IPOs: The public eye
A growing number of South Korean buyout firms are testing the waters for domestic IPOs. Continued regulatory hurdles mean that realizing value will require planning for the post-offer period
Korea macro: Tempered tiger
Korea’s economic momentum has simmered down as demographic, political and industrial evolutions suggest a structural decline. Investors are monitoring the transition with a conditional sense of optimism
Korean project funds: Lines of sight
The prevalence of project funds in Korea is routinely linked to local institutional investors’ innate discomfort with blind pool vehicles. But is this dynamic holding back middle market managers?
Japan hotel-booking start-up raises $6.3m
Metro Engines, a Tokyo-based start-up that provides pricing tools for online hotel booking sites, has raised JPY700 million ($6.3 million) from a group of Japanese venture capital and strategic investors.
CLSA buys Japan beauty salon chain
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has agreed to acquire 100% of Japanese beauty salon operator Puzzle for an undisclosed sum via a bolt-on with industry counterpart Agu Group.
J-Star acquires Japan auto parts company
Japan’s J-Star has acquired a controlling stake in domestic auto parts remanufacturing company Honest for an undisclosed sum.
Visa joins Series C for Japan fintech player Paidy
Visa has committed an undisclosed amount to a Series C funding round for Paidy, a Japanese financial technology company with several VC and corporate backers.
Autonomous vehicles: Driving ambition
Asia’s driverless car space has become an increasingly popular investment destination in recent years, but a number of significant challenges must be resolved for the sector to gain widespread social acceptance
Portfolio: Hahn & Co and H-Line Shipping
Hahn & Co’s investment in H-Line Shipping took the private equity firm into a faltering industry with a plan to focus on its most stable and profitable sub-segment
Advantage exits Japan's Fasford to Fuji
Advantage Partners has agreed to sell Japan-based Fasford Technology – a semiconductor components supplier it carved out from Hitachi three years ago – to Fuji Corporation.
Japan's Line launches $10m token fund in Korea
Japan’s Line Corporation has set up a $10 million fund via a Korean subsidiary that will make token investments in early-stage blockchain start-ups.
Q&A: GLP's Yoshiyuki Chosa
Warehouse operator GLP is betting heavily on technology as it builds out capacity in the Tokyo region. Yoshiyuki Chosa, president of the company’s Japan unit, sketches a difficult but rewarding logistics market
Crescendo hits $398m hard cap on second Korea fund
Crescendo Equity Partners, a mid-market Korean GP that concentrates on the industrial technology space, has closed its second fund at the hard cap of KRW450 billion ($398 million).
Samsung to expand VC program in $22b innovation drive
Korea’s Samsung has committed KRW25 trillion ($22 billion) to a technology innovation drive that will focus strongly on domestic R&D and include an expansion of the company’s venture incubation program.
Tokio Marine agrees $163m sale of Japan's Izumi
Tokio Marine Capital has agreed to sell Izumi Products, a Japanese manufacturer of electric tools and home appliances, to Maxell Holdings and Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) for JPY18.2 billion ($163.5 million).
NSSK acquires Japanese hotel operator
Japanese private equity firm NSSK has acquired hospitality business Hotel Castle Inn Group for an undisclosed sum.