Southeast Asia
GIC backs $117m Asia co-working platform
Singapore’s GIC Private has joined co-working space provider JustCo and local developer Frasers Property to establish a $117 million platform that will focus on co-working space investments across Asia Pacific.
Vietnam IPOs: A bigger bourse
A string of large-cap IPOs has brought international investors and credibility to Vietnam public equities. Despite a few local peculiarities, the market is on a path towards modernization
JD.com invests in PE-backed Asia logistics platform
Chinese online retailer JD.com has invested $306 million in e-Shang Redwood (ESR), a private equity-backed pan-Asia logistics operator and fund manager.
Q&A: IDG Ventures Vietnam's Henry Nguyen
Start-ups are attracting more attention in Vietnam as technology-oriented business models take root and local success stories emerge. Henry Nguyen of IDG Ventures Vietnam maps out the landscape
Vietnam consumer: Trading up
Vietnam’s consumer economy is attracting a wider range of investors as deal sizes inflate and new openings emerge in a winding value chain. Private equity is positioned to exploit several vantage points
Singapore's M17 Entertainment files for US IPO
M17 Entertainment, a Taiwan and Singapore-based media streaming company, has filed to list on the New York Stock Exchange.
Rakuten, EDBI lead $85m round for classifieds player Carousell
Rakuten Ventures and EDBI have led an $85 million Series C funding round for Singapore’s Carousell, an online flea market shopping app operator.
Singapore's Carro gets $60m Series B
Singapore-based automotive marketplace operator Carro has received a $60 million Series B funding round led by Softbank Ventures Korea, Insignia Ventures Partners and B Capital Group.
Deal focus: CVC targets consolidation in online trading
CVC Capital Partners is looking to replicate elements of its successful investment in IG Global with Oanda Global Corporation, an online currency trading platform positioned for substantial growth in Asia
GP profile: Intermediate Capital Group
In recent years Intermediate Capital Group has branched out beyond traditional mezzanine to embrace deal structures that have no sponsor. It sees ample opportunities in Asia’s developed markets
EQT closes Asia mid-market fund at $800m
EQT Partners has closed its Asia-focused middle market private equity fund on target with $800 million in commitments.
Indonesia VC: Levels of comfort
For all the fervor about technology opportunities in Indonesia, independent local VC firms are thin on the ground. Traditional LPs want to see more evidence of performance before getting involved
Fund focus: Dymon scales up for Fund II
Having raised $450 million for its second fund, Dymon Asia Private Equity will continue targeting middle-market companies in Southeast Asia that are looking for expertise as well as capital
Singapore's Aslan Pharma raises $42m in US IPO
Aslan Pharmaceutical, a Singapore-based drug developer that focuses on cancer treatments, has raised $42.2 million in its US IPO. The VC-backed company listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange last June.
Corporate divestments: Time to sell?
Asia Pacific companies are increasingly willing to consider non-core asset sales as they seek to shed dead weight and re-focus on major business areas, especially as technology threatens to overturn established practices
CVC buys currency trading platform to support Asia expansion
CVC Capital Partners has agreed to acquire currency trading platform Oanda Global Corporation with a view to helping the company further develop its business in Asia.
Singapore's Dymon closes Fund II at $450m
Singapore-based Dymon Asia Private Equity (DAPE) has closed its second fund targeting lower middle-market companies in Southeast Asia with $450 million in commitments. It had initially targeted a corpus of $350 million.
Corporates embrace VC to understand disruption - AVCJ Forum
Southeast Asian corporates are becoming increasingly involved in technology investment as they seek to understand how their traditional businesses might be disrupted, executives told the AVCJ Indonesia Forum.
PE-backed Vietnamese lender completes $992m IPO
Vietnam Technological & Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank, TCB), a private-sector lender backed by Warburg Pincus, has raised VND21 trillion ($922 million) in the country’s biggest IPO to date.
VCs should favor originality in SE Asia start-ups - AVCJ Forum
International venture capital firms are misguided in their attempts to find established parallels for Southeast Asian businesses in other markets because they could end up missing out on true innovation, industry participants told the AVCJ Indonesia Forum.
NSI goes independent, rebrands as Openspace Ventures
NSI Ventures, a Southeast Asian early-stage investor affiliated to Northstar Group, is to become fully independent and rebrand itself as Openspace Ventures.
Q&A: PropertyGuru's Steve Melhuish
In 11 years, PropertyGuru has evolved from a Singapore start-up into the leading online real estate listings platform in five Southeast Asian markets. Co-founder Steve Melhuish reviews the ups and downs
Singapore accelerators: Corporate orientation
The rise of corporate-backed innovation programs in Singapore suggests the emergence of a new model for start-up development. Stakeholders are monitoring the pros and cons of the phenomenon
PE investment in Indonesia infra set to increase
Indonesia appears set to see more private equity investment in its growing infrastructure space as an early phase of government-dominated investment transitions into a more complex financing environment.