Southeast Asia
CVC-led consortium completes $1.7b KFC take-private
A CVC Capital Partners-led consortium has completed a MYR5.12 billion ( $1.7 billion) privatization of Malaysia's KFC franchise and its parent company.
VCs and mobile internet: The race to stay relevant
Venture capital investors targeting the mobile and social media space are only as good as their understanding of the consumer habits and technologies that underpin industry trends
Navis, Rabo exit Thai duck processor
Navis Capital Partners and Rabo Capital have exited Thai duck processing firm Bangkok Ranch, plus its Dutch subsidiary Duck To Holdings, to a consortium led by the companies’ founders. The deal values the combined assets at THB5.7 billion ($188 million).
LPs on Asia: The risk factor
Proximity is reassuring. It shouldn't be surprising that a corporate governance scandal in Asia triggers concerns among institutional investors in North America who are far removed from the information flow and first hear the news via newspaper headlines...
Texas County & District invests $50m in RRJ’s second fund
Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) has committed $50 million to RRJ Capital’s second fund, which is targeting up to $5 billion. The private equity firm is run by Richard Ong, who previously co-founded China-focused Hopu Investment Management,...
Summit invests $26m in Southeast Asia online retailer
Summit Partners has invested EUR20 million ($26.4 million) in the German holding company of Southeast Asian online retailer Lazada. The capital will be used to expand the company’s product offering.
Templeton fully divests second emerging markets fund
Franklin Templeton has exited all the investments held in its second emerging markets fund, which was established in 2005 and had a corpus of $132.5 million. The vehicle has generated a net IRR of 34.3% and a money multiple of 2.1x.
Baird invests in Singapore’s Boston Plastics
Baird Capital Partners Asia has invested in Singapore plastic injection molding company Boston Plastics. It acquired shares from individual investors and company management, with the latter retaining majority control of the business.
Abraaj exits Thai restaurant chain Hot Pot after IPO
The Abraaj Group has exited restaurant chain Hot Pot after taking the company public on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in September. Hot Pot sold 101.9 million shares at THB2.80 apiece, raising THB285.3 million ($9.3 million), in an offering that was...
Golden Gate invests in three Singapore e-commerce firms
Golden Gate Ventures, a Southeast Asia-focused early stage technology seed fund, has added three Singapore-based e-commerce businesses to its portfolio: TradeGecko, RedMart and Coda Payments.
Singapore named most attractive market for infrastructure investment
Singapore is the world’s most attractive market for infrastructure investment, according to a new report.
2012: That was the year that was
The broad trends and particular highlights of private equity fundraising, investment and exit activity in Asia
Standard Chartered-backed Malakoff to list in 2013
Malakoff, the Standard Chartered Private Equity-backed power unit of Malayasian building firm MMC Corporation, has outlined plans for an IPO in 2013.
Norwest Venture Partners invests $6m in Indian IT firm Attune
Norwest Venture Partners has invested INR326 million ($6 million) in cloud-based IT product company Attune.
Singapore travel website gets seed funding from TNF, SingTel Innov8
Singapore-based online travel booking site Flocations has raised $570,000 seed funding round led by TNF Ventures and including SingTel Innov8, the corporate venture arm of SingTel – and angel investor Ben Ball.
Composition Capital invests in four Asian projects
Composition Capital Partners has invested in four projects in Macau, Taiwan and Malaysia through its local joint venture partners. The property-focused investor has also exited a Tokyo office development within a year of acquisition.
Primus Financial shuts down fund
Primus Financial Holdings, the private equity firm set up by three former Citigroup bankers to invest in financial services assets across Asia, has closed its fund. The firm profited from an investment in New China Life Insurance but is best known for...
General Atlantic's Nash promoted in Singapore
General Atlantic (GA) has promoted Nick Nash, who co-launched the firm's Singapore office, to principal.
Sinagpore’s Ventrillion invests $15m in Clean Coal
Singapore’s Ventrillion Management has agreed to invest up to $15 million in US-listed Clean Coal Technologies. The company, which holds patents for technology that converts raw coal into a cleaner burning fuel, will use the proceeds to complete its...
Northstar buys 49% stake in Trimegah Securities
Northstar Pacific Partners has acquired a 49% stake in Indonesian brokerage Trimegah Securities for IDR200 billion ($20.8 million). The investment was channeled through Northstar Equity Partners III, which closed last year at $820 million.
Abraaj exits Thai hospital with 3x return
Of the 19 million tourists who visited Thailand in 2011, an estimated 500,000 traveled specifically for medical care. Although medical tourism only accounts for 0.4% of national GDP, the industry is growing at an annual rate of 16% and is expected to...
Asia Awards: PE Professional of the Year – Roy Kuan
CVC Capital Partners has completed five investments and two exits in the last 12 months. Managing Partner Roy Kuan, who leads the Asia team, and colleagues Francis Leung and SigitPrasetya, discuss market trends
Asia Awards: Exit of the Year – King’s Safetywear
Navis Capital Partners' acquisition of King’s Safetywear in 2008 didn’t happen at an opportune time. One week after the firm completed its $62 million take-private deal and de-listed King’s from the Singapore Stock Exchange, Lehman Brothers collapsed...
Cleantech: Moving beyond subsidies
With its reputation for lackluster returns and dependence of government support, investors have shied away from cleantech, but GPs are bullish about its ability to stand on its own feet