Financials
India's Rockstud targets $37m for sophomore angel fund
India’s Rockstud Capital, an early-stage VC investor backed by high net worth individuals, has launched its second angel fund with a target of INR 3bn (USD 37m).
Japan's Anri leads $27m round for start-up lending platform
Japanese venture capital firm Anri has led a JPY 3.6bn (USD 27m) Series D round for local start-up lending platform Funds.
Premji Invest leads $110m round for India's Mintifi
Premji Invest has led a USD 110m Series D round for Indian financial services platform Mintifi with support from Norwest Venture Partners, Elevation Capital and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Mekong backs $50m round for Vietnam microlending player
Vietnam’s Mekong Capital has backed a USD 50m Series C round for local financial microfinance provider F88 Investment, contributing USD 20m.
BGH, Sixth Street's PushPay buyout bid set to fall short
New Zealand and Australia-listed payments business PushPay has announced that its NZD 1.54bn (USD 933m) acquisition by BGH Capital and Sixth Street Partners will not proceed based on proxy votes already received.
Japan enterprise blockchain supplier LayerX raises $40m
Japan’s LayerX, an enterprise technology supplier that incorporates blockchain into functions such as expense management, has raised JPY 5.5bn (USD 40m) from a mostly local VC syndicate.
Sequoia Southeast Asia leads Series C for Australia's Shift
Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia has led a Series C round of AUD 27m (USD 18.5m) for Australia-based credit and payments platform Shift.
Ribbit, Tiger Global, TVS commit $100m to India's PhonePe
Ribbit Capital, Tiger Global Management, and TVS Capital Funds have committed USD 100m to Indian digital payments platform PhonePe, joining an ever-lengthening investor roster.
Goldman Sachs, TVS lead $150m round for India's InsuranceDekho
Goldman Sachs and TVS Capital Funds have led a USD 150m Series A round for India’s InsuranceDekho, an online insurance policy comparison and brokerage service.
Singapore's Aspire closes Series C on $100m
Singapore-based B2B banking platform Aspire has closed an oversubscribed Series C round with USD 100m in commitments. Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia took the lead.
Inconfin closes India impact fund on $77m
Incofin Investment Management, a Belgium-headquartered impact investor, has reached a final close of USD 77m on a fund that will target financial inclusion and agri-food in India.
Sequoia leads $17m round for Singapore's Tazapay
Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia has led a USD 16.9m Series A round for Singaporean cross-border payments start-up Tazapay.
B Capital, Quona back India EV financing player Turno
B Capital Group and Quona Capital have led a USD 13.8m Series A round for Turno, an India-based platform that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) switch from combustion engine-powered three-wheelers to electric vehicles (EVs).
Goldman raises $5.2b global growth fund
Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has closed its debut global growth fund with USD 5.2bn in commitments. It claims this is one of the largest first-time growth vehicles ever raised globally.
Deal focus: Serving the sole trader
Accounting software provider Hnry has built up a following among freelancers and self-employed tradespeople in New Zealand and Australia. A USD 25m Series B will help it look further afield
Fund focus: ChrysCapital accumulates $1.4b India war chest
For ChrysCapital Partners, raising India’s largest private equity fund reflects the growth in the economy and in the investment opportunity, with bigger deals across more sectors on the agenda
Japan's Global Brain, Meiji Yasuda launch $39m VC fund
Japan’s Global Brain has further extended a string of corporate VC partnerships, teaming up with Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance to launch a JPY 5bn (USD 39m) fund.
Airtree leads $25m round for New Zealand's Hnry
Australia’s Airtree Ventures has led a NZD 35m (USD 25mm) Series B round for New Zealand small business financial technology provider Hnry.
China adult online education platform raises $41m in US IPO
QuantaSing Group, a Chinese adult tuition platform that spun out from wealth management and investment education business Erwan Technology, has traded relatively flat following a USD 41m IPO on NASDAQ.
Indonesia fintech start-up iSeller gets $12m
Indonesia financial technology start-up iSeller, which helps businesses to digitise sales and operations, has raised USD 12m in Series B funding led by Intudo Ventures.
India's PhonePe raises $350m at $12b valuation
General Atlantic has invested USD 350m – at a pre-money valuation of USD 12bn – in PhonePe, a digital payments platform that spun out from Indian e-commerce marketplace Flipkart.
GP profile: LeapFrog Investments
LeapFrog Investments is broadly recognised as a pioneer of impact investing globally as well as an architect of the industry’s legitimising standards and controls. Asia has always been core
Advent joins Series D for India's KreditBee
Advent International has committed USD 100m to Indian lending start-up KreditBee as an extension to a Series D round announced last month.
MUFG invests $200m in Indonesia fintech player Akulaku
Akulaku, an Indonesia-based digital finance platform that has raised several rounds of venture capital funding, has received a USD 200m investment from Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG).