North Asia
Korea's NPS loses chairman, CIO
South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) is recruiting a new chairman and CIO after the two incumbents stepped down due to tensions over strategy.
Wind Point Partners buys Korean lens manufacturer
Chicago-based private equity firm Wind Point Partners has acquired Daemyung Optical, South Korea’s second-largest manufacturer of optical lenses. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Fortress raises $1.1b for third Japan special situations fund
Fortress Investment Group has closed its third Japan-focused special situations fund at the hard cap of $1.1 billion. Ten deals have already been completed with more than JPY17 billion ($140 million) deployed.
Ability to change management key to value creation - AVCJ Forum
Having the ability to change the management team in a portfolio company remains a critical factor for private equity investors as they place greater emphasis on the value-add process.
China cross-border e-commerce platform raises $30m
Bolome, a Shanghai-based cross-border e-commerce platform, has raised a $30 million Series B round of funding from Chinese and South Korean investors including search engine Baidu, LB Investment, Share Capital and Chengwei Capital.
Japan female-focused video ad network raises $6.6m
Jafco, TBS Innovation Partners and strategic investors iStyle and Excite Japan have invested JPY800 million ($6.6 million) in Open8, a Tokyo-based start-up that a video ad platform targeted at women.
Reorient sells stake in Korean GP EQ Partners
Korean Investment Holdings has agreed to buy the entire shares in Seoul-based private equity firm EQ Partners from Hong Kong-listed financial services Reorient Group for $6.6 million in cash.
CITIC Capital buys Japan-based footwear brand
CITIC Capital Partners has acquired Japanese footwear company Akakura for an undisclosed sum.
Nippon Life to raise stake in India's Reliance Capital
Japanese life insurance firm Nippon Life will pay INR12 billion ($184 million) to increase its stake in Indian asset manager Reliance Capital Asset Management (RCAM).
SoftBank backs US-based Cybereason, supports Japan expansion
SoftBank Corp. has led a $59 million Series C round of funding for US-based Cybereason and will help the company distribute its cyber-security platform in the Japanese market.
Profile: Phronesis Partners' Tomoya Shiraishi
Having worked on one of Japan’s biggest-ever deals with Permira, Tomoya Shiraishi returned to his small-cap growth buyout roots with Phronesis Partners – with a bit of venture philanthropy in between
3Q analysis: Digital dreamers
Early- and growth-stage technology deals dominate the China investment charts; middle market fundraising enjoys a rebound; private equity investors turn to trade sales as the public markets flounder
India's Lighthouse reaches $138m final close on Fund II
Lighthouse Funds has reached a final close on its second Indian mid-market focused fund at $138 million, well above the $125 million target.
Anchor Equity closes second Korea fund at $850m
Anchor Equity Partners has raised $850 million for its second South Korea-focused fund, less than two years after closing Fund I at $500 million.
SoftBank leads $1b round for Renren-backed US online lender
Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group has led a $1 billion Series E round of funding for Social Finance (SoFi), a Silicon Valley online lending marketplace also backed by China social networking site Renren.
Japan virtual currency player gets $2.3m from VC backers
Orb, a Japanese start-up that has developed an authentication technology to facilitate the use of virtual currencies, has raised JPY274 million ($2.28 million) from a group of investors.
H&Q Korea to take full ownership of JobKorea in $85m deal
H&Q Korea plans to acquire the 50.1% of JobKorea - the South Korean operation of Monster Worldwide - that it doesn't already own for approximately $85 million.
Comcast to buy majority stake in PE-owned Universal Studios Japan
Comcast Corp. has agreed to pay JPY183 billion ($1.5 billion) for a 51% stake in Universal Studios Japan (USJ), a theme park operator controlled by MBK Partners, Goldman Sachs, PAG, and US hedge fund Owl Creek Asset Management.
Hudson commits $100m to Japan, Latin America solar partnership
Hudson Clean Energy Partners has teamed up with independent power producer Sky Solar to develop solar projects in Japan and Latin America. The PE firm will contribute $100 million to the partnership.
Fund focus: LPs renew Carlyle's Japan mandate
Carlyle closes Japan fund at just under $1 billion, eyes corporate carve-outs, succession planning deals
Carlyle closes third Japan fund at $1b
The Carlyle Group has closed its third Japan-focused fund at JPY119.5 billion ($1 billion), exceeding the target of JPY100 billion.
PE investors target Korean corporate carve-outs - AVCJ Forum
Private equity investors in South Korea continue to see signs of increased deal flow in the form of corporate carve-outs as domestic conglomerates rationalize their businesses.
500 Startups to raise Japan seed fund
US-based accelerator 500 Startups has extended its Asia footprint with the launch of a $30 million fund dedicated to early-stage Japanese technology companies.
MBK consortium to buy Tesco's Homeplus in $6.4b deal
A consortium led by MBK Partners has agreed to buy Homeplus – Tesco’s South Korea unit – at an enterprise valuation of GBP4.2 billion ($6.4 billion). Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) will contribute $534 million to the deal. Other co-investors...