Financials
Carlyle makes partial exit from India's SBI Life
The Carlyle Group has made a partial exit from India-listed life insurance company SBI Life, selling one-third of its stake for approximately INR28.2 billion ($392 million).
Warburg Pincus, Bessemer invest India's Perfios
Warburg Pincus and Bessemer Venture Partners have led a $50 million Series B round for Indian financial technology provider Perfios.
Chinese GPs back $120m Series B for OPay
A group of Chinese investors including Gaorong Capital and Sequoia Capital China have joined a $120 million Series B round for Nigerian logistics and payments technology company Opay.
PE-backed Ping An fintech spin-out pursues US offering
OneConnect Financial Technology, an affiliate of China’s Ping An Insurance backed by the likes of IDG Capital, SBI Group, and SoftBank Vision Fund, has filed to list in the US.
India’s Sanaka Capital invests $44m in Edelweiss
Sanaka Capital, an Indian private equity firm established by Shankar Narayanan, formerly co-head of The Carlyle Group's Asia growth team, has agreed to invest $44 million in local financial conglomerate Edelweiss.
TPG leads $32m round for India bank
TPG Capital has led a INR2.2 billion ($32 million) funding round for India's Jana Small Finance Bank, which focuses on financial inclusion through digital services.
Japan's WealthNavi secures $37m funding round
A fund launched by Sony Financial Ventures and Global Brain is among the participants in a JPY4.1 billion ($37.5 million) funding round for Japanese financial technology start-up WealthNavi.
Japan's Paidy secures $143m in funding
Paidy, one of Japan’s largest financial technology start-ups, has confirmed $143 million in new funding, comprising an extended Series C round and debt financing.
China car finance player targets US IPO
Meili Auto, a Chinese car financing platform, has filed for US IPO. Its backers include Gaorong Capital, China International Capital Corporation (CICC), and Lingfeng Capital.
Kirwood leads Series C for New Zealand fintech player
Kirwood Capital, a private equity firm that makes growth investments in Australia and New Zealand-based companies with global expansion prospects, has joined a NZ$25 million ($16 million) Series C round or digital lending platform Harmoney.
Deal focus: China's XTransfer fills missing link in fintech
XTransfer has won backing from Alibaba and a string of venture capital investors to provide a bridge to payment services that so many small businesses in China are still forced to go without
Chinese enterprise software player Ekuaibao receives $50m
Ekuaibao, a Chinese software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider specializing in corporate reimbursements, has raised $50 million in an extended Series C round.
Australia's Athena Home Loans gets $48m Series C
Australian financial technology start-up Athena Home Loans has raised A$70 million ($48 million) in Series C funding from a group of investors led by AustralianSuper.
PE-owned Latitude cancels Australia IPO
Australia and New Zealand consumer lending business Latitude Financial has abandoned plans for an IPO that would have facilitated partial exits for its private equity owners.
Korea blockchain developer Iconloop gets $8m
Iconloop, a Seoul-based blockchain technology developer focused on digital currency services, has raised a KRW10 billion ($8 million) Series A round led by Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC).
Deal focus: CDC gets comfortable in Bangladesh
Backing small business lender BRAC Bank and establishing an office in Dhaka is part of CDC Group's wider plan to more than double its exposure to Bangladesh over the next three years
Creador leads Series C for India's Kogta Financial
Creador has led a INR3 billion ($42 million) Series C round for Kogta Financial, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) looking to deepen its penetration in India’s central and western states.
India’s Udaan closes Series D at $585m
India’s Udaan has closed its Series D round at $585 million, with the latest contribution featuring Tencent Holdings and the VC arm of Citi. It values the B2B online marketplace at $2.5-3 billion.
CDC names Bangladeshi head, invests local bank
UK-based development finance institution CDC Group has cemented its presence in Bangladesh through an investment in local lender BRAC Bank and the naming of a country director.
Asia fintech: Micro is big
The lowest common denominator is getting lower in financial services as technology reaches deeper into the sector. Investors must keep up to speed on business model evolution
Japan investors back US token player Securitize
Japanese investors are supporting efforts to bring token-based economic infrastructure to Japan with participation in a $14 million round for US-based digital securities technology player Securitize.
PE-backed Latitude targets up to $946m in Australia IPO
KKR, Värde Partners and Deutsche Bank plan to make partial exits through an IPO of Australian consumer lending business Latitude Financial, which is expected to raise as much as A$1.4 billion ($946 million).
India SME platform OfBusiness raises $35m Series D
OfBusiness, an Indian smart financing services provider for small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) has received an INR2.5 billion ($35 million) Series D round led by Norwest Venture Partners.
Singapore's Mooncake Capital launches $100m crypto VC fund
Mooncake Capital, a Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on crypto technologies has launched an Asia-focused fund targeting $100 million.
