North Asia
PAG targets $3b for second Asia fund
PAG Asia Capital has launched its second pan-regional fund and is looking to raise $3 billion. The GP, which is led by Weijian Shan, formerly of TPG Capital, closed its maiden fund at $2.5 billion in 2012.
ICG invests in Korean tutoring business
Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) has invested an undisclosed sum in Time Education, a privately-owned education company in Korea that provides tutoring services from kindergarten through high school.
Deal focus: CITIC tries Mark Styler on for size
China's appetite for fashion is massive and growing. A recent report by the Fung Business Intelligence Centre put the country’s apparel retail market at around RMB1.14 trillion ($187 billion) in 2013, up 11.6% from the previous year. China is expected...
Q&A: Unison Capital's Tatsuo Kawasaki
Unison Capital is in the process of raising its fourth Japan-focused fund. Tatsuo Kawasaki, a partner at the firm, discusses how government policy and market dynamics might impact its deployment
SIMI's Arora appointed COO of SoftBank Group
SoftBank Corp. has named Nikesh Arora - CEO of SoftBank investment unit SoftBank Internet & Media Inc.(SIMI) - as the Japanese telecom and internet conglomerate's new president and COO.
Babson closes Asia mezzanine fund at $177m
Babson Capital Management has reached a final close of $177.2 million on its latest Asia-focused mezzanine fund.
PE to exit as Japan's Recruit buys Wahanda
Japan’s Recruit Holdings has acquired UK-based Hotspring Ventures, the company behind online hair and beauty marketplace Wahanda, for JPY4.5 billion ($37.6 million), providing an exit for the company’s VC backers.
Thailand payment services provider gets Series A round
Indonesian venture capital fund SMDV has a $2.6 million Series A round for Thailand-based payment solutions start-up Omise.
CITIC Capital buys Japan apparel brand
CITIC Capital has acquired Japanese women's apparel company Mark Styler for an undisclosed sum.
Fund focus: Unison hones in on South Korea
Comparisons can be drawn between Unison Capital’s debut Korea buyout fund and its first Japan vehicle raised more than 15 years ago. The targets are small- to mid-size companies that have growth potential but need help realizing it, particularly in terms...
Unison closes debut Korea fund at $280m - update
Japan-based private equity firm Unison Capital has closed its first-ever Korea-dedicated buyout fund at approximately KRW300 billion ($280 million).
CVC adds to Japan team
CVC Capital Partners has boosted its Japan team with two hires from domestic GP Advantage Partners. Atsushi Akaike and Yukinori Sugiyama have joined as partner and senior managing director, respectively.
VC-backed news app Gunosy sees modest gain after Tokyo IPO
Shares in Gunosy - a Japanese news app developer backed by the venture capital firm Jafco, telecoms company KDDI Corp. and B Dash Ventures - is up marginally on its IPO price after two days trading in Tokyo.
Unison sells Asahi Tec casting assets to India's Amtek Auto
Asahi Tec, a Japanese auto-parts supplier controlled by Unison Capital, has agreed to sell a portfolio of companies covering casting and forging to India's Amtek Auto.
OPIC seeks fundraising proposals from emerging markets GPs
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a development finance institution (DFI) backed by the US government, has issued a call for proposals from private equity fund managers raising funds for emerging markets.
Mitsui leads $21m round for India's Naaptol
Japanese trading house Mitsui has led a INR1.36 billion ($21 million) round for India home shopping and e-commerce start-up Naaptol Online Shopping. Existing investors New Enterprises Associates (NEA), Canaan Partners and Saama Capital also took part....
Portfolio: IMM Private Equity and Korea's Hollys Coffee
IMM Private Equity thinks Hollys Coffee has what it takes to become a homegrown star in Korea’s fiercely competitive coffee house industry. Two years into the investment, rejuvenation efforts appear to be paying off
Ticket Monster tools up for e-commerce fight
EBay paid $1.2 billion for a dominant position in Korean online retail in 2009 with the privatization of NASDAQ-listed Gmarket. It was the leading e-commerce marketplace, accounting for KRW3.99 trillion (then $2.6 billion) of the country’s estimated KRW18.1...
Japan's Rebright launches $20m fund for India start-ups
Rebright Partners - an early-stage investor backed by a consortium of Japanese internet companies - has formed a JPY2.4 billion ($20 million) fund to invest technology start-ups in India.
Korea's NPS ups alternatives exposure to 9.9%
The National Pension Service of Korea (NPS) increased its alternatives allocation from 9.4% to 9.9% over the course of 2014 as total assets grew by 10.3% to reach KRW470 trillion ($435 billion).
Integral, ANA agree joint sponsorship of Japan's Skymark
Tokyo-based private equity firm Integral Corp. has reached an agreement with local airline operator ANA Holdings to invest JPY18 billion ($150 million) in ailing Japanese carrier Skymark.
Japan crowd translation start-up raises $5.4m
Japan's Recruit Holdings has led a $5.4 million Series C round of funding for crowdsourced translation company Gengo.
KKR, Anchor buy controlling stake Korea's Ticket Monster
A consortium led by KKR and Anchor Equity Partners has agreed to buy a controlling stake in South Korean mobile e-commerce company Ticket Monster from US-listed Groupon for $360 million.
Rakuten invests in VC-backed China discount site Fanli
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten has bought a less than 10% stake in VC-backed Chinese discounts site Fanli in a Series C round of funding that values the business at about $1 billion.