South Asia
Carlyle makes partial exit from India's SBI Life
The Carlyle Group has made a partial exit from India-listed life insurance company SBI Life, selling one-third of its stake for approximately INR28.2 billion ($392 million).
Warburg Pincus, Bessemer invest India's Perfios
Warburg Pincus and Bessemer Venture Partners have led a $50 million Series B round for Indian financial technology provider Perfios.
Advent buys Indian biopharma player
Advent International has agreed to acquire a controlling position in Bharat Serums and Vaccines, an Indian biopharmaceuticals supplier focused on the women’s health segment.
Norwest raises $2b for latest global VC fund
Norwest Venture Partners, a US-headquartered investor with a strong presence in India, has closed its latest global VC fund at $2 billion. It is the firm’s largest vehicle to date.
Blackstone commits $244m to India's Future Lifestyle Fashions
The Blackstone Group has agreed to invest INR17.5 billion ($244 million) in India-listed clothing retailer Future Lifestyle Fashions (FLF).
India’s Sanaka Capital invests $44m in Edelweiss
Sanaka Capital, an Indian private equity firm established by Shankar Narayanan, formerly co-head of The Carlyle Group's Asia growth team, has agreed to invest $44 million in local financial conglomerate Edelweiss.
PAG, Centurium win firm of the year prizes at AVCJ Awards
PAG Asia Capital and Centurium Capital secured the two firm of the year prizes at the 2019 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards, while Renuka Ramnath of India’s Multiples Alternative Asset Management won the AVCJ Special Achievement Award.
TPG leads $32m round for India bank
TPG Capital has led a INR2.2 billion ($32 million) funding round for India's Jana Small Finance Bank, which focuses on financial inclusion through digital services.
Indian Angel Network closes VC fund at $53m
Indian Angel Network (IAN) has closed its first venture capital fund with INR3.7 billion ($53 million) in commitments. The target was INR3.5 billion.
ESG in Asia: Maturing perspectives
Asian investors are growing more confident in their approaches to environmental, social, and governance issues, but policies must be flexible enough to handle unforeseen complications
PE & QSR: Going greenfield in India
Localization was the key for Everstone Group when rolling out Burger King in an India market that is both price-sensitive and not known for its appreciation of beef
PE & QSR: Ambition on a bun
Many private equity investors think they can make a fast buck from fast dining, but rolling out a Western-style brand in Asia requires discipline on valuation and competence in execution
Everstone seeks listing for Burger King India
Everstone Capital, which set up the Indian franchise of US fast food giant Burger King in 2013, has filed to list the company on the domestic markets.
Pakistan’s Airlift raises $12m Series A
Pakistan’s Airlift, a bus-hailing app, has raised a $12 million Series A round led by US-based First Round Capital. It is being called the largest ever Series A in Pakistan.
India's ShopClues to merge with Singapore-based Qoo10
Indian e-commerce company ShopClues has agreed a merger with Singaporean counterpart Qoo10 at a valuation reportedly 99% lower than its peak level of $1.1 billion.
Blackstone backs India’s Aakash Educational
The Blackstone Group has invested an undisclosed sum in New Delhi-based Aakash Educational Services with a view to building India’s largest digital omnichannel test preparation company.
Naspers VC unit backs India's ElasticRun
Prosus Ventures, a VC unit of South African internet conglomerate Naspers, has led a $40 million investment in Indian logistics technology developer ElasticRun.
India motorcycle taxi platform Rapido gets $55m Series B
Chinese early-stage investor Shunwei Capital Partners has participated in a Series B funding round for Indian motorcycle taxi operator Rapido, drawing comparisons with the growth trajectory of Indonesia’s Go-Jek.
CDC backs Nepalese internet service provider
CDC Group has made its first equity investment in Nepal with a NPR1.35 billion ($12 million) commitment to WorldLink, the country’s largest private sector internet service provider.
PE-backed ESR relaunches Hong Kong IPO
Pan-Asian logistics and fund management platform ESR has relaunched a Hong Kong IPO that was pulled in June amidst unrest in Hong Kong and concerns about the valuation.
India's MyGate gets $56m Series B
Tencent Holdings, JS Capital, Tiger Global Management, and Prime Venture Partners have provided a $56 million Series B round to India’s MyGate, a security app for gated communities.
Deal focus: CDC gets comfortable in Bangladesh
Backing small business lender BRAC Bank and establishing an office in Dhaka is part of CDC Group's wider plan to more than double its exposure to Bangladesh over the next three years
Deal focus: Udaan signals India’s digital progress
B2B marketplace Udaan has achieved unicorn status faster than any of its illustrious Indian forbears. A readymade national broadband infrastructure certainly helped
India's Inventus closes third VC fund at $52m
India and US-focused Inventus Capital Partners has closed its third fund at INR3.6 billion ($52 million). It is the early-stage investor's first vehicle dedicated solely to India.
