Southeast Asia
Hermes GPE to open in Singapore this year
Hermes GPE, the European private equity and infrastructure investment firm, will reportedly extend its operation to Singapore and the US this year.
Khazanah appoints QIA's Kenneth Shen as executive director
Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the investment holding fund of the Malaysian government, has appointed Kenneth Shen as executive director of investments. Shen was formerly adviser to the chief executive officer of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and a board member...
Actis exits Asia Books in Thailand
Actis Capital and Thailand Equity Fund (TEF) have jointly exited their 100% stake in Asia Books, a leading foreign-language books and magazine vendor in Thailand, to Bangkok-based Berli Jucker Public Company.
Indonesia considers cap on foreign ownership of local banks
Indonesia is considering limits on foreign ownership of domestic banks at a time when private equity firms are keen to boost their exposure to the sector. Darmin Nasution, the central bank governor, said that the potential impact of the regulations is...
Suntory to set up JV with Carlyle target GarudaFood
Indonesia’s GarudaFood plans to establish a soft drinks joint venture with Suntory, the Japanese corporate thought to have lost out to The Carlyle Group in the final round of bidding for a stake in the company. Suntory is looking to spend around $126...
Temasek eases exposure to Chinese banks
The timing of Temasek's sell-down of a partial stakes in Bank of China and China Construction Bank certainly raised eyebrows. Singapore’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund made its move hours after Moody’s warned that the scale of local government...
Vietnam’s road to reform
A strong consumer market is one of Vietnam’s most appealing qualities, but long-term economic stability is still required
Islamic finance: From Middle East to Far East
Islamic private equity is gaining popularity, but the number of shari’ah-compliant funds is rising slowly. Are Asia Pacific’s GPs really losing out?
Private equity, the ASEAN way
South East Asia has returned as a favored destination for private equity investors. With a population of over 600 million people and a combined GDP of $1.8 trillion, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – comprising Indonesia, Malaysia,...
Aberdeen launches real estate fund-of-funds in Asia
Singapore-based Aberdeen Asset Management Asia has launched a property fund-of-funds that is expected to raise up to $400million. It will help boost real estate exposure among institutional investors.
Temasek sees portfolio reach $158b for 2010-2011 fiscal year
Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund, said that its portfolio was worth a record S$193 billion ($158 million) at the end of its last financial year in March, up from S$186 billion ($152 billion) in 2010. Net profit came...
Thailand state pension fund may start investing overseas
Thailand Government Pension Fund (GPF), the sovereign wealth fund with assets totaling THB400 billion($13.2 billion), plans to invest overseas later this year. It is likely to target real estate funds, according to reports.
SingTel's Innov8 leads Series A investment in Dealised
Singapore-based group buying start-up Dealised has received $5.35 million in a Series A funding round led by SingTel Group’s corporate venture fund SingTel Innov8. The financing tranche also includes Australian-based venture investor Yuuwa Capital.
American LPs and Asia GPs: A meeting of minds
It goes without saying that LPs are interested in Asia. But where do they – and the GPs who put their capital to work – see the best returns?
Temasek reduces holdings in Bank of China, China Construction Bank
Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund, has reduced its holdings in Bank of China and China Construction Bank in order to scale back on its financial sector exposure, raising around $3.6 billion in the process.
3i Southeast Asia head Mark Thornton to exit firm
Mark Thornton, a founding member of 3i Group’s Southeast Asia team, is to depart the private equity firm for undisclosed reasons. 3i’s head of Asia Anil Ahuja will inherit Thornton’s duties and lead the firm's Singaporean and Indian businesses,...
OPIC to support Asia's energy spaces
OPIC, a US government-backed development finance institution, has approved a $62 million capital injection into the Renewable Energy Asia Fund, which has so far raised $125 million.
Malaysia, Singapore SWFs jointly develop realty projects
Sovereign wealth funds Khazanah Nasional Berhad of Malaysia and Temasek Holdings of Singapore have established a 60/40 real estate joint venture, respectively, called M+S Pte. Ltd. to develop four land parcels in Singapore's Marina South and Ophir-Rochor...
CLSA Capital Partners appoints new fundraising head
CLSA Capital Partners has appointed Juliana Wood to lead its marketing and fundraising operations from Singapore. In this capacity, she will report to COO Randy Wilbert.
DLA Holdings participates in TravelShark fundraising
DLA Holdings, the Singapore-based private equity firm, has invested $5 million in leading online travel network TravelShark. This latest round of financing takes the company’s total fundraising activity to $8 million.
Maybank, CIMB drop RHB pursuit following Aabar Investments' 25% stake acquisition
The potential merger between RHB Capital and either Maybank or CIMB has collapsed after Abu Dhabi-backed Aabar Investments agreed to pay a price for a 25% stake in the Malaysian lender that the banks could not match.
GIC executive director quits to run for president of Singapore
Tony Tan, executive director at Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC), has resigned from his post to run for president of the city-state. He also quit his role as chairman of Singapore Press Holdings, which controls the majority of the local...
Kotak Mahindra applies for Singapore office
India’s Kotak Mahindra Bank, whose parent has been an active private equity investor, is looking to open its first overseas branch, in Singapore.
India PE investment to top $10b this year - Ernst & Young
India may see $10 billion in private equity investments this year, topping the $6 billion recorded in 2010, according to Ernst & Yong, as quoted in local media reports.