North Asia
Japan's Mizuho launches $250m ASEAN fund
Japan’s Mizuho Bank has launched a private equity fund focused on middle-market companies in the ASEAN region with a target corpus of $250 million.
Formation 8 backs Yello Mobile's O2O unit
Formation Group, a Silicon Valley and Asia-focused venture capital firm established by Formation 8 co-founder Brian Koo, has invested KRW112.5 million ($99 million) in the online-to-offline (O2O) services unit of Korean mobile internet platform Yello...
Toshiba, Bain sign MOU for chip unit - update
Japanese conglomerate Toshiba has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bain Capital regarding the sale of its Nand flash memory unit to a consortium led by the PE firm.
Japan's Infostellar receives $7.3m Series A
Infostellar, a Japanese company developing cloud-based satellite communication technology, has closed a $7.3 million Series A funding round led by US-based Airbus Ventures.
Korea, Singapore launch cross-border healthcare incubator
Singapore investor Golden Equator Capital and Korean research organization C&R Healthcare Global have jointly launched an incubation program that will help Korean healthcare start-ups execute Asian expansions via Singapore.
Japan's J-Star exits pet services business
J-Star has made a full exit from Japanese pet services business Three Arrows to domestic GP Création Capital, its co-investor on the original deal.
Carlyle set for partial exit from Japan's Tsubaki Nakashima
The Carlyle Group has agreed to reduce its stake in Japan-listed manufacturing industry equipment supplier Tsubaki Nakashima from about 47% to 2.4%.
L Catterton Asia backs Korean eyewear brand
L Catterton Asia has led a consortium including Groupe Arnault - the family office of LVMH founder Bernard Arnault, which is one of the firm's LPs - to purchase a stake in Gentle Monster, a South Korean sunglasses and eyewear brand.
Jafco leads $14.8m investment in Japan's Tech Bureau
Tech Bureau, a Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange platform operator, has received JPY1.6 billion ($14.8 million) in Series B funding led by domestic venture capital firm Jafco.
GPs must be selective in targeting Korea divestments – AVCJ Forum
Korea's push for chaebol reform is expected to create more PE investment opportunities as conglomerates are pressured to divest assets, but GPs told the AVCJ Korea Forum that they have to be careful in picking the right deals because asset quality varies....
Deal focus: Lock & Lock primed for regional expansion
Affinity Equity Partners is betting on Asian appetites for high-quality food containers in its acquisition of South Korea's Lock & Lock
GP-LP: Dangerous liaisons
A diverging supply-demand dynamic in private equity fundraising is threatening the GP-LP alignment of interest. Concessions on both sides are needed in the interests of long-term stability
J-Star buys Japanese consumer brand Sun Smile
J-Star has acquired Sun Smile, a Japanese manufacturer of consumer products aimed at young women.
Korean fintech: Financial times
Korea’s financial technology sector is affording start-ups disruption opportunities based on an outdated infrastructure environment. Early movers are experimenting with a number of business models
Q&A: TMON Chairman Daniel Shin
Daniel Shin, chairman of TMON – formerly known as Ticket Monster – dissects the competitive Korean e-commerce space, with an eye on how new technological applications can provide an operational edge
Korea securities firms: Brokerage bonanza
Korean securities firms are building PE teams with a view to raising capital from third-party investors. There is government support for these efforts, but independent GPs aren’t worried about increased competition
Korean middle market: Up the ladder
Interest from foreign LPs in Korea’s middle-market is rising, but the segment is still dominated by domestic institutional investors. Changes to this dynamic are unlikely to arrive soon
Blackstone hires ex-JP Morgan banker as Japan chairman
The Blackstone Group has appointed Katsuyuki Kuki, who previously spent nine years as an investment banker with J.P. Morgan, as its chairman and representative director for Japan.
Affinity buys majority stake in Korean food container maker
Affinity Equity Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Lock & Lock, a South Korean manufacturer of airtight food containers and kitchen household goods for KRW629.3 billion ($562 million).
SoftBank Group, Vision Fund invest $4.4b in WeWork
US-based co-working space operator WeWork has received commitments totaling $4.4 billion from Japan’s SoftBank Group and its SoftBank Vision Fund.
SparkLabs launches $50m Korea, SE Asia venture fund
SparkLabs Global Ventures has launched a $50 million venture capital fund that will make Series A and B investments in Korean and Southeast Asian start-ups.
Partners Group appoints Japan head
Partners Group has appointed Shunsuke Tanahashi (pictured) as head of the private equity firm’s Japanese business.
Jafco backs Japan blockchain-IoT start-up
Nayuta, a Japanese start-up focused on combining internet-of-things (IoT) and blockchain technologies, has received a JPY140 million ($1.3 million) funding round led by Jafco.
Crescendo Equity, Lindman back Korean software developer Hancom
Hancom, a South Korea-listed software developer, has raised KRW60 billion ($53 million) from two private equity firms.