Southeast Asia
Malaysia PE: Shaken, not stirred
Malaysian investors are unfazed by a period of political tumult that has directly embroiled the country’s government-guided private equity industry. An erratic growth trajectory now appears set to stabilize
IFC plans $273m Southeast Asia distress JV
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, has proposed a partnership with Philippines-based Altus Capital to invest up to $272.5 million in distressed assets in Southeast Asia.
Creador set for $430m first close on Southeast Asia, India fund
Creador has scheduled a first close of $430 million on its fourth Southeast Asia and India-focused fund and set the hard cap at $550 million.
Malaysia's Sunway launches $50m VC fund
Sunway, a Malaysian conglomerate with operations in real estate and construction, has launched a venture capital fund with a view to raising $50 million.
Boyu leads $125m round for Singapore's Trax
Boyu Capital has led a $125 million funding round for Trax, a Singapore-headquartered company that has developed computer vision and analytics solutions through which retailers can link sales to in-store and on-shelf positioning.
Malaysia's Affin Hwang launches private equity unit
Malaysia-based Affin Hwang Asset Management has launched a private equity arm under the name Bintang Capital Partners.
Google launches Asian games accelerator
Google has launched an accelerator for Southeast Asia, India, and Pakistan that will focus exclusively on video games.
Singapore's EDBI joins $42m round for US-based Puppet
Singapore’s EDBI has joined a $42 million funding round for Puppet, a US-based creator of software development and operation tools, with the goal of driving expansion in Asia.
VCs invest $8m in Singapore's Umitron
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and D4V, a Japanese seed-stage investor set up by Genuine Startups and US design consultancy Ideo, have joined a S$11.2 million ($8.2 million) investment in Singaporean agricultural technology company Umitron.
Warranty and indemnity insurance: The information barrier
Warranty and indemnity insurance is growing in popularity in Asia, particularly in emerging markets. A lack of understanding is the biggest impediment to its widespread adoption
Singapore's CashShield gets $20m Series B
Temasek Holdings and GGV Capital have led a $20 million Series B funding round for CashShield, an online fraud management services company for mid to large sized enterprises based in Singapore.
Temasek and CFOs: PE to the people
It has taken Temasek Holdings four secondary transactions over 12 years to create a product that allows retail investors to participate in its private equity portfolio. Will others follow suit?
KKR buys Unilever Indonesia's spreads business
KKR has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in a division of consumer goods company Unilever Indonesia that focuses on food spreads such as butter and cooking oil for about IDR2.9 trillion ($210 million).
CITIC Securities fund makes pre-IPO investment in ESR
China’s CITIC Securities has made a pre-IPO investment of undisclosed size in pan-Asian logistic company and fund manager E-Shang Redwood (ESR).
Gobi Partners makes ASEAN appointments
Gobi Partners has strengthened its ASEAN team with the appointment of Dan Chong as COO for the region and the recruitment of two partners for its ASEAN and Thailand funds.
Campbell Lutyens opens Singapore office
Placement agent and secondary transaction advisor Campbell Lutyens has opened a new office in Singapore to support an ongoing Asian expansion agenda.
Delta Capital closes Myanmar fund at $70m
Delta Capital Myanmar, formerly known as PMM Partners, has achieved a final close of about $70 million for its second private equity fund. The GP was targeting $100 million.
CEO of Malaysia's Cradle Fund killed by mobile phone malfunction
Nazrin Hassan, CEO of Cradle Fund, died on June 14 due to blast injuries incurred when his mobile phone exploded, the Malaysian venture capital firm has confirmed.
Singapore's M17 abandons US IPO
M17 Entertainment, a Taiwan and Singapore-based media streaming company, has abandoned plans for a $60.1 million IPO in the US citing unspecified difficulties with some investors.
Abraaj files for restructuring
The Abraaj Group – which has been under pressure since governance concerns emerged in February – has appointed provisional liquidators to work on a restructuring of the firm after a second creditor filed a petition seeking to recover unpaid debts.
Sequoia, Shunwei lead $38m round for PatSnap
PatSnap, a cloud-based intellectual property analytics and management software developer based in the UK and Singapore with more than half of its clients in China, has raised a $38 million Series D round led by Shunwei Capital and Sequoia Capital.
CVC acquires Malaysia's Munchy Food Industries
CVC Capital Partners has acquired 100% of Malaysia-based food company Munchy Food Industries for an undisclosed sum.
Toyota invests $1b in SE Asia's Grab at $10b valuation
Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation will contribute $1 billion as the lead investor in the latest round of funding for Southeast Asia-focused ride-hailing business Grab. The commitment – the largest-ever made by an automaker in the ride-hailing industry...
Southeast Asia's Grab launches venture arm
Southeast Asia-focused ride-hailing app operator Grab has launched a venture capital unit aimed at developing and investing in emerging technology businesses across the region.