North Asia
Japan's Unison buys local bar and restaurant chain
Unison Capital has acquired Dinamix, an operator of Japanese-style bar and restaurants, for an undisclosed sum.
Korean culture plays: Sitting pretty?
Private equity is riding the 'Korean wave' by investing in cultural assets - from music to TV dramas to beauty products – that have international appeal. Success hinges on execution as much as macro trends
KKR closes third Asian fund at $9.3b
KKR has closed its third pan-regional fund at $9.3 billion, breaking its own record for the largest pool of private equity capital ever raised for deployment in Asia. The fundraising process took less than seven months and the vehicle is said to have...
Future Venture Capital to buy All Nippon Entertainment
Future Venture Capital (FVC) has agreed to acquire Japanese media company All Nippon Entertainment Works (ANEW) from government-owned investor Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ).
Deal focus: IMM seeks to ride the Korean wave
IMM Investment has become the latest private equity firm to buy into the Korean cosmetics story, paying $330 million for a majority stake in Able C&C through a tender offer and the acquisition of shares from the founder
Placement agent First Avenue opens Korea office
Private funds and corporate placement agent First Avenue has opened an office in Seoul, adding to its existing Asia Pacific bases in Hong Kong and Sydney.
Fund focus: Gree widens its regional scope
For its $67 million second fund, Gree Ventures has added India to its existing Japan and Southeast Asia coverage with a view to facilitating wider cross-border collaboration
Bain to make full exit from Domino's Pizza Japan
Bain Capital Private Equity is set to exit Domino’s Pizza Japan, having exercised a put option requiring Domino’s Pizza Enterprises (DPE) - which acquired a majority interest in the business in 2013 – to buy its 25% stake.
Big beast: The SoftBank Vision Fund
SoftBank's global technology fund is significant enough to redraw the private equity investment opportunity in certain industries, if not to redraw the industries themselves
Japan’s Gree Ventures closes second fund at $67m
Gree Ventures, which was set up by Japanese mobile gaming company Gree, has closed its second early-stage VC fund at $67 million.
MBK to buy Modern House from Korea's E-Land for $626m
MBK Partners has agreed to buy Modern House, the household and consumer goods unit of Korean retail giant E-Land Group, for KRW700 billion ($626 million).
Hynix joins bid for Toshiba's memory chip unit as PE firms circle
South Korean memory chip manufacturer SK Hynix has joined a group that is bidding for Toshiba’s Nand flash memory business amid reports that Bain Capital has submitted an offer of $10 billion for the asset.
SoftBank achieves $93b first close on global tech fund
SoftBank Group Corp. has reached a first close of more than $93 billion on its global technology investment fund. A final close of $100 billion is expected within six months.
Prostar buys majority stake in Korean gas distributor
Energy-focused private equity firm Prostar Capital and its co-investor BlackRock have acquired Korean gas distributor Kyungnam Energy, facilitating an exit for local GP Anchor Equity Partners.
Japanese digital marketing player receives $28m
From Scratch, a Japanese digital marketing platform, has raised approximately JPY3.2 billion ($28.4 million) in funding from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Rakuten Ventures, as well as several existing investors.
VIG-owned Samyang targets up to $74m in Korea IPO
Samyang Optics, a Korea-based camera lens manufacturer owned by VIG Partners, is seeking to raise as much as KRW82.4 billion ($73.5 million) through a domestic IPO.
MBK secures partial exit from Korea's Coway
MBK Partners has sold part of its stake in Korean water purifier business Coway – having abandoned plans for a full exit last year – generating proceeds of approximately KRW370 billion ($330 million).
J-Star acquires Japan tutoring business
J-Star has purchased the tutoring businesses of Japan’s Alpha Corporation for an undisclosed amount.
Korea's KIC boosts alternatives exposure to $15.1b
Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) hiked its alternatives allocation from 12.4% to 13.7% - reaching $15.1 billion - over the course of 2016 as the overall portfolio posted a positive return following an investment loss in 2015.
Highland closes Asia, US healthcare fund at $147m
Highland Capital Management has raised approximately $147 million for an Asia and North America-focused healthcare fund, having received an anchor LP commitment from South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS).
Endeavour United to buy Pizza Hut Japan
Endeavour United, a GP established by the team behind turnaround investor Phoenix Capital, has agreed to buy Pizza Hut Japan and Phoenix Foods from Mitsubishi Corporation-controlled KFC Holdings Japan.
Japan fundraising: Middle market momentum
Japan’s buyout space has been thrust into the spotlight following a flurry of fundraising activity by domestic private equity firms. Can the middle market retain its sweet spot status?
CLSA closes third Japan fund at $400m hard cap
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has become the seventh private equity firm to close a Japanese mid-market fund since the start of the year, hitting the hard cap of $400 million for its third vehicle.
Japan’s Orix to acquire 22% of PE-backed Ormat
Japanese financial services group Orix Corp. has agreed to buy a 22.1% stake in Israeli geothermal energy producer Ormat Technologies for $627 million from an investor group led by PE firm FIMI Opportunity Funds.