Southeast Asia
Singapore VC: Silicon dreams
Buoyed by government support and increasing private sector interest, Singapore has created a legion of tech start-ups that now require further investment. Can it become Southeast Asia’s answer to Silicon Valley?
Singaporean investor Temasek opens London office
Temasek Holdings has established an office in London to support its investment interests in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A New York base is expected to become operational later this year.
PE and elections: A vote of confidence?
Investors often cite elections as impediments to deal flow, as applications are delayed or applications held over until votes are counted. With Indonesia and India preparing for elections, what does it mean for PE?
Northstar enters Southeast Asia VC space
The Northstar Group, a Singapore-headquartered private equity firm with significant interests in Indonesia, is expanding its franchise to include venture capital. The VC unit is called Silicon Island, in reference to Singapore’s ambition to become a...
Temasek pays $5.7b for stake in Li Ka-Shing’s A.S. Watson
Temasek Holdings has agreed to buy a 24.95% stake in A.S. Watson, a health and beauty retailer owned by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-Shing, for HK$44 billion ($5.7 billion). A.S. Watson was seeking a dual listing in Hong Kong and London but this plan has now...
PE seeks post-election certainty in Indonesia – AVCJ Forum
Private equity investors are playing wait-and-see in Indonesia ahead of the country’s parliamentary and presidential elections this year, but they expect activity to rebound, in part driven by a more favorable economy and moderating valuations.
Fund administrator Augentius hires Asia head
Augentius has appointed Alex Traub as managing director of its Singapore office from where he will manage the fund administrator’s existing client relationships in Asia and take the lead in business development.
Kerogen enters PNG LNG space
Seven years after ExxonMobil began its feasibility study on commercializing gas resources in Papua New Guinea (PNG) through liquefied natural gas (LNG), the PNG LNG Project is poised to start delivering on its promise.
Temasek tables $2.1b bid for full ownership of Olam
A consortium led by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings has offered to pay $2.1 billion to take full ownership of agricultural commodity trading conglomerate Olam International. The consortium already owns a 52.5% stake in the firm.
Kerogen makes Asia oil and gas play, eyes Fund II
Kerogen Capital has invested A$30 million ($27 million) in Twinza Oil, which has oil and gas interests in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Thailand. The energy-focused GP is also said to be preparing to launch its next fund later in the year.
L Capital buys majority stake in luxury restaurant operator
L Capital Asia, the private equity firm backed by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, has bought a 51% stake in Ku Dé Ta Group, a restaurant and club operator with interests in Singapore and Thailand.
GREE, Transcosmos back Singapores's Luxola
Singapore-based online beauty store Luxola has raised $10 million in a Series B round of funding led by Japanese e-commerce services firm Transcosmos with existing backer Gree Ventures.
Templeton reaches final close on fourth emerging markets fund
Franklin Templeton has reached a final close of more than $220 million on its latest emerging markets fund. The vehicle, which launched in March 2012 with a target of $300 million, has already made three investments.
Q&A: Creador's Brahmal Vasudevan
Creador is in the process of raising its second fund, which has a target of $250 million, to be deployed in Indonesia, Malaysia and India. CEO Brahmal Vasudevan explains where the firm is investing and why
Indonesia acquisition finance: Squeezed at the margins
With bumper LBOs few and far between, banks see limited opportunities for leveraged finance in Indonesia. And in the prevailing economic climate, they aren’t generous at acquisition or operating company level
Indonesia VC: Lucrative clicks
E-commerce has emerged as the star of Indonesia’s expanding start-up space. Early-stage investors are scrambling to fill their shopping carts, but you have to pick the right spots and deploy the right resources
Indonesia macro: Tipping point?
Indonesia appears to have weathered the worst of its recent economic storms, but the route towards long-term sustainable growth has yet to be mapped out. PE investment theses rely on sensible navigation
Beyond the tapering terror
Limited partners around the globe are now returning to private equity opportunities in developed Western markets, especially those of the US, a number of recent surveys indicate. Asian private equity, and Southeast Asia in particular, has fallen a few...
Australia's CHAMP PE seeks London listing for Shelf Drilling
Shelf Drilling, a shallow water drilling services company set up by Australia’s CHAMP Private Equity in conjunction with its US affiliate Castle Harlan and Lime Rock Partners, plans to list on the London Stock Exchange in May.
KKR expands energy & infrastructure team into Asia
KKR has further bolstered its energy and infrastructure presence in Asia, appointing Tony Schultz as managing director in Sydney and relocating Ash Upadhyaya -a director with KKR's energy and infrastructure team in the US - to Singapore.
SoftBank Venture backs Thai video game firm Ini3 Digital
SoftBank Ventures Korea (SBVK), the corporate investment arm of the Japanese telecoms giant, has taken a 23% stake in Thai online video game operator Ini3 Digital. The financial terms were not dislosed.
Kendall Court's mining compromise solution
Intrepid Mines was left with choice: continue to participate in the Tujuh Bukit copper-gold project in Indonesia as a minority investor, or sell up. It wasn't a choice the Australian resources company had envisaged making when it agreed to assume control...
CVC completes $215m sell down of Indonesia's Matahari
CVC Capital Partners has raised IDR2.49 trillion ($215 million) by trimming its stake in Indonesian retailer Matahari Department Store. This follows a $1.3 billion share sale last year by the PE firm and its local partner, the Riady family’s Lippo Group.
VC-backed Food Runner buys Philippines' City Delivery
Food Runner, a Singapore-based food delivery company backed by Digital Media Partners, has acquired Philippines counterpart City Delivery.