Southeast Asia
Advantage buys Vietnam's Elise Fashion
Advantage Partners has made its first acquisition in Vietnam, buying women’s fashion brand Elise Fashion for an undisclosed amount.
Thailand's Beacon leads $6.5m round for local fintech player
Beacon Venture Capital, the VC unit of Thailand’s Kasikornbank, has led a $6.5 million investment in Jitta, a local financial technology provider and stock analysis platform operator.
Intudo closes second Indonesia fund at $50m
Intudo Ventures has closed its second fund focused exclusively on Indonesian early-stage companies at $50 million. The firm raised $20 million for its debut vehicle last year.
VC documentation: Standardizing small print
The rapid growth of venture capital in Southeast Asia has fostered the emergence of varied working practices. Singapore’s model investment agreements are intended to help bring order to chaos
Indonesia’s BeliMobilGue raises $10m Series A
Indonesia’s BeliMobilGue, a used car trading platform backed by a number of VCs, has raised $10 million in a Series A round led by parent company Frontier Car Group with participation from Toyota Tunas Indonesia.
Warburg Pincus backs $200m investment in Indonesia's NWP
Warburg Pincus has backed a $200 million funding round for Indonesian shopping mall developer NWP Retail.
Sequoia leads $226m Series D for Singapore’s Zilingo
Sequoia Capital India has led a $226 million Series D round for Singapore-based Zilingo, a fashion e-commerce platform and provider of ancillary services.
General Atlantic seeks to leverage local presence in Indonesia
General Atlantic has opened an office in Indonesia, citing a need for an intensified local presence to leverage strong domestic growth trends in the firm’s core domains of technology, financial services, healthcare, and consumer.
Indonesia's Go-Jek completes first phase of Series F
Google, JD.com and Tencent Holdings are among the returning investors in the first phase of the Series F round for Indonesia-based ride-hailing and delivery platform Go-Jek, which amounts to around $1 billion.
Thailand's Central Group invests $200m in Grab
Thai retail conglomerate Central Group has agreed to invest $200 million in ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Grab, adding to the list of strategic players that have backed the Southeast Asia company in the past year.
GP due diligence: Stones unturned
The expansion of private equity activity in developing markets is translating into greater due diligence pressure on LPs seeking reliable fund managers. Solutions are intuitive but difficult
Sequoia launches accelerator for India, Southeast Asia start-ups
Sequoia Capital has launched Surge, an accelerator program aimed at start-ups that are either based in or targeting India and Southeast Asia.
Deal focus: Singapore Life delivers insurance update
Singapore Life has accelerated plans to digitize the insurance and wealth management industry following a $33 million Series B from Aberdeen Standard Investments and Aflac
Värde promotes Asia credit head to partner
Värde Partners has promoted Haseeb Malik, a senior managing director based in its Singapore office and head of Asia corporate and traded credit, to partner. It is one of three senior promotions announced by the firm worldwide.
Malaysia's OSK invests Singapore's Blue Planet
Malaysian private equity firm OSK Ventures International has made an investment of undisclosed size in Singapore waste management company Blue Planet Environmental Solutions.
Japan’s TEPCO backs $100m Southeast Asia cleantech fund
Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), Singapore’s WEnergy Global, and ICMG Partners, a start-up accelerator with bases across Asia and the US, have launched a $100 million fund focused on clean energy innovation in Southeast Asia.
China's Gobi makes its first two Philippines investments
China’s Gobi Partners has made its first investments in the Philippines with early-stage commitments of undisclosed size for online healthcare services provider Maria Health and student portal operator Edukasyon.
Indonesia's Warung Pintar gets $27.5m Series B
Warung Pintar, an Indonesia-based smart kiosk start-up, has raised IDR390 billion ($27.5 million) in Series B funding from a group of investors including East Ventures.
Ascent Capital launches Myanmar PE fund
Ascent Capital, a Singapore-based private equity firm set up last year with a focus on Myanmar, has formally launched its debut fund with about $50 million in confirmed commitments.
Aberdeen Standard backs insurtech specialist Singapore Life
Aberdeen Standard Investments has committed $13 million to financial technology start-up Singapore Life, taking the company’s total capital raised to date to $97 million.
Singapore to help tech start-up IPOs
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has created a program that will encourage technology start-ups to list in the territory.
Belt Road leads $7m round for Vietnam's LeFlair
Belt Road Capital Management, a Cambodia-based private equity firm focused on Southeast Asia, has led a $7 million investment in Vietnamese e-commerce player LeFlair.
Deal focus: Platinum to power PCI’s tech dreams
Platinum Equity plans to use Singapore-based PCI as a platform for more bolt-on acquisitions in Southeast Asia's printed circuit board assembly services market
GIC, Mizuho invest $265m in Vietcombank
GIC Private has invested in Vietcombank through a joint deal with Mizuho Bank worth VND6.2 trillion ($265 million), underlining the strong interest among private and strategic investors in Vietnam’s financial sector.
