Regions
PE-backed NBFC Magma to apply for India banking license
Non-bank financing company (NBFC) Magma Fincorp, which has several private equity investors, will apply to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a new banking license. IDFC, Religare Enterprises, Reliance Capital and the Aditya Birla Group also plan to...
Korean government tries again to offload Woori stake
The South Korean government will once again try to offload its majority stake in Woori Finance Holdings, this time breaking up the asset into three pieces to be auctioned separately. The plan is to sell two regional banks and a brokerage and related units...
Governance issues could undermine Japan's economic reforms - AVCJ Forum
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic reforms have provided a boost for Japanese private equity but issues surrounding corporate governance continue to be a barrier to opportunities, industry participants told the AVCJ Japan Forum.
PEP-owned American Stock Transfer refinances debt – report
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) is said to have tapped the US markets to refinance $480 million in debt held by portfolio company American Stock Transfer (AST). This is the third time in less than two months that firms owned by the Australian GP have completed...
Take-private deals for China's 7 Days, Feihe near completion
Chinese budget hotel chain 7 Days Group Holdings is set to be privatized after shareholders voted in favor of a PE-backed management buyout that values the company at around $688 million. A $147 million privatization of Chinese dairy firm Feihe International...
Success of Abenomics hinges on deregulation – Orix
The success of economic reforms introduced by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ultimately depend on his ability to deliver on structural reform, the third of his “three arrows” policy, according to Yoshihiko Miyauchi, CEO of Orix Corp. This observation...
Telstra Ventures provides Series D funding for Kony Solutions
Telstra Ventures, the VC arm of Australian telecom operator Telstra, has committed $18.3 million in a Series D round of funding for Kony Solutions, a US-based mobile applications developer. The size of its stake was not disclosed.
Abraaj teams up with USAID to launch $100m Pakistan PE funds
The US Agency for International Development (USAID), The Abraaj Group and JS Private Equity Management (JSPE) will launch two private equity funds focused on Pakistani small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Indian regulator opens up new channel for SME exits
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will allow start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to list without an IPO in a move to facilitate exits. The regulator has also brought angel funds under the alternative investments funds...
Warburg Pincus-backed India coal washery firm re-files for IPO
Warburg Pincus is set for a partial exit from ACB, a provider of coal beneficiation services, after the company re-filed a draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for an IPO. It hopes to raise INR4.15 billion ($69.4 million).
Fosun, AXA sweeten buyout offer for Club Med, win board support
Chinese conglomerate Fosun International and Axa Private Equity have increased their takeover bid for France-based vacation resorts operator Club Méditerranée (Club Med). The new bid, worth EUR557 million ($729 million), has won favor with the company’s...
Reebonz receives $39m from MediaCorp, VCs
Southeast Asia-focused online retailer Reebonz has received a S$50 million ($39 million) round of funding led by Singapore multimedia group MediaCorp. Existing investors Vertex Ventures, GGV Capital, Intel Capital and Matrix Partners China also participated.
AVCJ China Awards: VC Professional of the Year – Lei Jun
Twenty years ago, Lei Jun joined Chinese software company Kingsoft and dedicated himself to developing its flagship product, WAP Office, a word processing system primed to challenge Microsoft’s mid-1990s offering. It lost.
AVCJ China Awards: Exit of the Year – China Pacific Insurance
“The transaction, the largest private equity investment in China to date, is a testimony to the maturing investment and regulatory environment in China and to the government’s commitment to financial reform,” X.D. Yang, managing director and co-head...
Carlyle finds the right formula for Yashili
Glow-in-the-dark pork, dumplings with aluminum, cadmium-tainted rice, and cooking oil made from recycled sewage are just some of the horrors that have found their way onto Chinese dinner tables in recent times. It is no wonder, then, that there is an...
Partners Group joins India’s IT crowd
Few investors need to be convinced of the wealth of possibilities that exist in India’s IT outsourcing industry. As of last year, the sector was valued in excess $100 billion with export revenues reaching $69.1 billion and domestic revenues of $31.7...
AVCJ China Awards: Firm of the Year – FountainVest Partners
FountainVest Partners took six months to raise its second fund, for which it also won the US dollar fundraising award, and then participated in China’s largest-ever PE buyout. CEO Frank Tang looks back and forward
Positive signs from India
The last few years haven't been kind to Indian private equity. After a period of strong fundraising and bumper investment – a large portion of it into publicly-listed entities – the industry has largely been unable to deliver on the promise. Non-performers...
AVCJ China Awards: PE deal of the year – Alibaba Group
AFTER THREE YEARS OF ON-AND-OFF negotiations with Yahoo, Alibaba Group finally agreed to repurchase half of the US internet firm’s 40% stake in itself for $7.6 billion last September. Supported by $5.9 billion in financing, of which $3.9 billion was...
AVCJ China Awards: RMB fundraise of the Year – CDH Investments
CDH Investments did not get into the renminbi fund space as part of the mad rush for heady exit multiples on Chinext. The private equity firm’s involvement dates back to several years earlier and it owes much to China’s regulators restricting offshore...
AVCJ China Awards: PE professional of the Year – Homer Sun
Somewhat unusually for Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia’s (MSPEA) China team, the last 12 months have been dominated by buyout deals. Leading Beijing convenience store chain Hi-24 was acquired last November through a corporate carve-out and then two...
Cerberus fails in challenge to Seibu board
Cerberus Capital Management failed to its attempt to assert more control over the management of railway and property group Seibu Holdings, as shareholders voted down the PE firm's plan to secure more board seats.
Clifford Chance appoints Latham partner to head Singapore funds team
Clifford Chance has hired Latham & Watkins partner Kai Schneider to lead its funds team in Singapore. He replaces Han Ming Ho, who is leaving for Sidley Austin.
Yonyou Software sells RayooTech stake to Shenzhen Fortune ahead of IPO
China’s Yonyou Software will sell its entire 18.73% stake in Beijing RayooTech company for RMB75.37 million ($12.26 million) to Shenzhen Fortune Venture Capital. This comes ahead of an expected IPO for RayooTech.