Southeast Asia
Standard Chartered PE backs garlic-themed restaurant in Korea
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has led a $48 million joint investment in Mad for Garlic, a Korea-based Italian restaurant chain that has expanded into Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia e-commerce: Logistics logjam
Southeast Asia is expected to see rapid growth in e-commerce over the next five years. But are there enough competent logistics providers to deliver the goods in a timely and cost-effective fashion?
Sinarmas supports Ardent Capital's Southeast Asia expansion
Southeast Asia-focused e-commerce investor Ardent Capital has received $12.5 million in funding led by Indonesian conglomerate Sinarmas. Existing backers also participated.
KKR to up stake in Indonesia's Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food
KKR will acquire a further 10% of Indonesian rice and noodle producer Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food (TPSF) for IDR658 billion ($55 million). The PE firm first invested in TPSF last year, representing its first deal in Indonesia.
Temasek wins approval to buy Intas stake from ChrysCapital
Temasek Holdings has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to acquire a stake in Intas Pharmaceuticals from ChrysCapital Partners.
Q&A: United Overseas Bank's Wee Yap Yeo
United Overseas Bank (UOB) has teamed up with Orix Corp. to launch a $200 million Southeast Asia mezzanine fund. Wee Yap Yeo, head of mezzanine capital at UOB, explains the strategy
Mekong delivers golden return
As office workers clock off in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vuvuzela outlets begin to fill up. It was supposed to be a Hooters-style casual dining chain – and the female staff dress accordingly – but Vuvuzela has morphed into a very local beer club....
Cross-border e-commerce: The final frontier
Rocket Internet and Alibaba Group are preparing to go public and have ambitious growth plans. But how suited are their respective models to cross-border e-commerce expansion?
Crowdfunding: Herd dynamics
More start-ups are tapping crowdfunding platforms for capital. How well prepared are Asian markets to accommodate the phenomenon and what does its emergence mean for venture capital investors?
KKR completes privatization of Singapore's Goodpack
KKR has completed the S$1.4 billion ($1.1 billion) acquisition of intermediate bulk container (IBC) manufacturer Goodpack. The company delisted from the Singapore Exchange on September 15.
SCPE backs Vietnam's Golden Gate, Mekong secures 9x exit
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has acquired a significant minority stake in Golden Gate, a Vietnam-based restaurant operator, for $35 million. The investment has allowed existing backer Mekong Capital to make a full exit with a net multiple...
Q&A: Employee Provident Fund's Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan
Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is a relatively new but increasingly significant part of the global PE landscape. Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, the fund's CEO, outlines the strategy
Q&A: Ekuinas' Dato' Abdul Rahman Ahmad
Part of Ekuinas' mandate is to foster the development of a domestic private equity industry in Malaysia. Dato' Abdul Rahman Ahmad, CEO of the government-supported fund, explains its approach
LeapFrog reaches $400m close on second microfinance fund
LeapFrog Investments - the specialist microfinance investor backed by George Soros and JP Morgan Chase - has reached a $400 million close on its second fund targeting financial services investments in emerging Asia and Africa.
Rebright leads $1m seed round for Singapore’s Smove
Japanese seed investor Rebright Partners has led a $1.1 million funding round for Clean Mobility Singapore, the Singapore-based start-up behind car rental service Smove, with participation from 500 Startups and Wavemaker Pacific.
Rocket, Kinnevik to form emerging market fashion e-commerce giant
German start-up incubator Rocket Internet and Investment AB Kinnevik, Rocket's biggest backer, are to consolidate five emerging market fashion e-commerce brands into a single global company with a combined valuation of EUR2.7 billion ($3.5 billion).
UOB, Orix launch $200m SE Asia-focused mezz fund
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) and Japan's ORIX Corp. (ORIX) have launched a mezzanine fund providing expansion capital to mid-sized companies in Southeast Asia.
Singapore Red Dot Payment complete Series A round
Wavemaker Pacific and GMO Global Payment Fund have taken part in a Series A round of funding for Singapore's Red Dot Payment, an online payment solutions provider. The financial details were not disclosed.
Navis completes buyouts in Australia, Singapore
Navis Capital Partners has completed two buyouts, acquiring Singapore-based pipe cladding manufacturer Cladtek and Australian casual dining chain operator and franchisor Dôme Coffees Australia.
GIC invests $104m in Taiwan music streaming service provider
GIC Private has invested $104 million in KKBOX, a Taiwan-based company that provides music streaming services in Asia.
KKR appoints Indonesia head
KKR has appointed Jaka Prasetya, former managing partner and founder of Leafgreen Capital Partners, as managing director with responsibility for Indonesia. He will also work on the firm’s credit and special situations initiatives in Southeast Asia.
Ekuinas buys majority stake in Malaysian tanker company
Ekuinas, the Malaysian government-backed private equity investor, has agreed to acquire up to 95.5% of Orkim, one of the country’s largest clean petroleum product (CPP) tanker companies, for MYR346.3 million ($109 million).
Creador beats expectations with $300m final close on Fund II
Creador has reached a final close on its second fund at the hard cap of $300 million. A rush of late commitments saw the Southeast Asia and India-focused GP exceed its projected $275 million total.
Everstone names ex-Goldman executive as CEO
India and Southeast Asia-focused GP Everstone has hired L. Brooks Entwistle,formerly of Goldman Sachs, as a partner and group CEO.