Southeast Asia
Indonesia financial services: Too hot to handle
For all the foreign strategic interest in Indonesia’s financial services sector, most deals are thwarted due to a huge gap in price expectations. PE investors are steering clear of the mainstream and looking for niche value
Indonesia’s MPM to boost auto rental exposure, preps IPO
Mitra Pinasthika Mustika (MPM), the Indonesian motorcycle distributor in which Affinity Equity Partners and Saratoga Capital invested around $100 million last year, is looking to boost its car rental business. The comes as the company prepares to raise...
JBIC, Mizuho partner with Singapore government to promote SMEs
Mizuho Corporate Bank (MHCB) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have signed an agreement with SPRING Singapore, an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, to encourage collaboration between small businesses in Japan and Singapore.
Rocket Internet’s Asian fashion startup raises $100 million
Zalora, a Hong Kong-based online fashion and beauty retailer owned by German VC firm Rocket Internet, has closed a $100 million round of financing from Investment AB Kinnevik, Verlinvest and return backers Summit Partners and Tengelmann Group - which...
DBS wins approval to buy Indonesia bank stake from Temasek
DBS Group Holdings has won approval to buy a 40% stake in Indonesian mid-sized lender Bank Danamon for $2.75 billion from Singapore state investor Temasek. It will be the biggest acquisition in the country's history.
SEAVI invests $17m in Indonesian port manager
SEAVI Advent Private Equity, the Asian arm of Advent International, has made a $17 million investment into Multicon Indrajaya Terminal, an Indonesian port depot manager.
Quantum seeks to reclaim Intrepid Indonesian mine asset
Quantum Pacific Investment, the third-biggest shareholder in Australia's Intrepid Mines, is looking to recover some of the explorer's stake in a key Indonesian asset as it brings in a new leadership team.
Macquarie exits Taiwan Broadband as IPO raises $1.1b
Two funds run by Macquarie have exited Broadband Communications after the Taiwan pay-TV operator’s holding company raised S$1.39 billion ($1.1 billion) through an IPO. The offering by Asian Pay Television Trust (APTT) – of which Broadband Communications...
Capital International backs Philippines media conglomerate
Capital International has invested PHP2.5 billion ($60.7 million) in ABS-CBN Corporation, the Philippines’ largest media and entertainment company. The funding will be used to support ABS-CBN’s platform expansion, including boosting its digital terrestrial...
Phillip PE sees 7x return on biotech start-up
Inviragen had inauspicious beginnings. The firm came about through a marriage of convenience between two biotech start-ups that couldn't get funding: US-based Inviragen was working on dengue fever vaccine but had no capital for clinical trials; over in...
SCPE invests $75m in Asian gas project developer
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has invested $75 million in Asia Pacific gas specialist Energy World Corporation (EWC) through a corporate exchangeable bond issue. The capital will be used to support liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the...
IFC commits $20m to Armstrong's SE Asia cleantech fund
International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's investment arm, has committed $20 million to Singapore-based Armstrong Asset Management's Southeast Asia cleantech fund.
Japan’s Indonesian ambitions
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) is paying a princely sum for a slice of Indonesia's financial services sector. The price-to-book (P/B) valuation of the $1.56 billion it has agreed to pay for a 40% stake in Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN)...
Navis commits up to $150m to SE Asia e-waste specialist
Navis Capital Partners has acquired a majority interest in TES-Envirocorp, a Singapore-headquartered electronic waste (e-waste) company. According to sources familiar with the transaction, the GP invested $100-150 million.
Armstrong cleantech fund makes debut investment in Thailand
Armstrong Asset Management has agreed to invest in a Thai solar energy project, marking the first deal from its Southeast Asia cleantech fund, which is expected to reach a final close of $150 million in August. The private equity firm will take a 60%...
Khazanah among cornerstone investors in Galaxy Securities IPO
Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional will commit $100 million as a cornerstone investor in China Galaxy Securities' $1.37 billion Hong Kong IPO.
CPE invests $1m in Malaysia’s Asia Bioenergy Technologies
China Private Equity Investment Holdings (CPE), an AIM-listed vehicle that claims to offer European investors exposure to Chinese private equity in China without the limitations imposed by closed-end funds, has bought a 13.08% stake in Asia Bioenergy...
TPG, Northstar in partial exit from Indonesia’s BTPN
TPG Capital and Northstar Pacific Partners have agreed to exit part of their stake in Indonesian lender Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN) to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC).
Japan's Takeda buys Singapore biopharma start-up
PE-backed Singapore biopharmaceutical start-up Inviragen is to be acquired by Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical for $250 million.
Saban Capital plans to triple Asia portfolio
Saban Capital is looking to triple its investments in Asia over the next two years with a focus on the media and communications space.
Temasek-invested US drug developer targets IPO
Portola Pharmaceuticals, a US-based drug developer whose largest shareholder is Temasek Holdings, plans to raise $127 million through a NASDAQ IPO. The other backers include MPM Capital, Prospect Venture Partners, Brookside Capital, Sutter Hill Ventures,...
Accion backs Asian financial services start-ups
Non-profit microfinance pioneer Accion will provide funding to three Asian start-ups through its $10 million seed initiative, Venture Lab. Singapore-based Coda Payments, Demyst Data and Indian education access provider Varthana are among the five businesses...
Carlyle confirms appointment of Indonesia head
The Carlyle Group has confirmed the appointment of Rajiv Louis as managing director with responsibility for investment activity in Indonesia. He previously spent nearly 10 years at UBS, most recently serving as managing director and country head in Indonesia...
JBIC to commit $25m to Mizuho ASEAN fund
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will commit up to $25 million to Mizuho's new ASEAN-focused private equity fund.