Consumer
Baring Asia sued by education provider
Baring Private Equity Asia is being sued by education provider Global Indian Schools Holdings - into which it agreed to invest $100 million - for allegedly conspiring to prevent the company from making acquisitions in a bid seize control.
Vision Knight's institutional upgrade
A mark of a successful first fund is increasing interest from institutional investors in its successor.
CBC, AsiaInfo back China travel solutions provider Baoku
China Broadband Capital (CBC) and telecom software developer AsiaInfo-Linkage have backed a Series A round of funding for Baoku.com, a Beijing-based travel solutions provider.
VC-backed China cosmetics retailer Jumei targets $400m IPO
Sequoia Capital investee Jumei International Holding, which claims to be China’s leading online retailer of beauty products, is seeking to raise up to $400 million through a NASDAQ IPO.
Vision Knight closes second China fund at $550m
Vision Knight Capital, a PE firm co-founded by former Alibaba.com CEO David Wei, has reached a final close on its second fund at the hard cap of $550 million.
PE-backed WH Group targets $5.3b in HK IPO
WH Group, the PE-backed Chinese meat processing company that acquired US pork producer Smithfield Foods, is planning to raise as much as HK$41 billion ($5.3 billion) through a Hong Kong IPO.
Mekong, CDH set for partial exits from Vietnam's Mobile World
Mekong Capital and CDH Investments will make partial exits from Mobile World, Vietnam’s largest mobile phone retailer, when the company lists on the Ho Chi Minh exchange in June with an expected valuation of up to $280 million.
Vertex leads round for Southeast Asia taxi-booking app
Vertex Ventures, a unit of Temasek Holdings, has led a round of funding for GrabTaxi, a taxi booking app set up in Malaysia that is looking to continue its expansion into other Southeast Asian markets.
Japan regulation: Taxing tactics
Investors are concerned about the potential repercussions for the economy – and their portfolio companies – of Japan’s staged consumer tax hike. Could it really derail the country’s fragile recovery?
Blue Star on consolidation path
It is difficult to capture the scale of Australia’s printing industry given the amount of activity that takes place outside of the traditional silos. The data points highlighted by the national industry association, however, do not make for comforting...
Portfolio: CDH, Mekong and Mobile World
Early investor Mekong Capital and recent addition CDH Investments have guided Mobile World through rapid growth and growing pains. Now the Vietnam-based mobile phone retailer is about to go public
L Capital Asia invests in Italian footwear maker
L Capital Asia has acquired a minority stake in Italian high-end footwear manufacturer Vicini, working in partnership with L Capital Management, another PE firm supported by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH.
Partial exits for IDG, Jafco as China's Tarena completes $137m IPO
IDG Capital Partners and Jafco have made partial exits from Tarena International after the Chinese IT training services provider raised $137.7 million through a NASDAQ IPO.
VC-backed Chinese package tour platform files for US IPO
Tuniu, a Chinese online package tour provider backed by DCM, Temasek Holdings, Gobi Partners and Sequoia Capital, is seeking to raise up to $120 million through a US IPO.
SAIF-backed Indian retail platform HomeShop18 files for US IPO
HomeShop18, an Indian television shopping network and online market place backed by SAIF Partners and OCP Asia, has filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.
Morgan Stanley PE Asia agrees two China take-privates
Two privatizations US-listed Chinese companies backed by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) have won board approval. Noah Education Holdings and Sino Gas International Holdings are now a shareholder vote away from de-listing.
China online liquor retailer raises $68m
Jiuxian.com, a Chinese e-commerce site that sells wines and spirits, has raised RMB425 million ($68 million) across two rounds of funding.
IFC to invest $85m in PepsiCo's India bottler
International Finance Corporation (IFC) is investing $85 million in Varun Beverages, the largest South Asian bottler for soft drinks giant PepsiCo.
Everstone invests $16m in India fashion house
Everstone Capital has invested INR1 billion ($16.6 million) in Indian fashion label RituKumar in return for an undisclosed minority stake.
KKR, Affinity complete Oriental Brewery exit
KKR and Affinity Equity Partners have completed their exit of Korea's Oriental Brewery (OB) to previous owner Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) for $5.8 billion.
ClearVue keeps it fresh with Fruitday
“Surprisingly, the price of imported fruit is not necessary always more expensive than local fruit,” observes Harry Hui, managing partner of ClearVue Partners. “The reason is that in developed countries, the agricultural productivity is higher than in...
India film funding: Bollywood bets
The rapid growth of India’s movie industry is drawing in private equity investors looking for exposure all along the value chain. Those unable to stomach the risk will aim for distribution rather than production
Jafco invests $2m in Japan leisure booking site
Globis Capital Partners and Jafco Ventures have invested JPY200 million ($1.95 million) in Catarizm, the Japanese start-up behind online leisure booking site Asoview.
IDG leads round for Chinese restaurant review app Ricebook
IDG Capital Partners has led a $7 million Series B round of funding for Ricebook, a Chinese restaurant review mobile app operator.