Financials
VC-backed Equitas files for India IPO
Indian microfinance institution Equitas Holdings has filed for an IPO, providing partial or complete exits for a number of VC and PE investors.
Providence makes buyout offer for Australia's iSelect
Providence Equity Partners has submitted a buyout offer for iSelect, an Australian Securities Exchange-listed product comparison site specializing in insurance, household utilities and personal finance.
Good Resources, Bank of China set up $5b global M&A fund
Good Resources Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed investment firm controlled by Chinese billionaire Kin-Ming Cheng, will set up a joint global MA& fund worth $5 billion in conjunction with Bank of China’s Hong Kong asset management unit.
Sailing, Yunfeng lead $158m round for China's Rong360
Sailing Capital and Yunfeng Capital have jointly led a RMB1 billion ($158 million) Series D round of funding for Rong360, a Chinese online search platform for loan products.
Nippon Life to raise stake in India's Reliance Capital
Japanese life insurance firm Nippon Life will pay INR12 billion ($184 million) to increase its stake in Indian asset manager Reliance Capital Asset Management (RCAM).
Convergence, Golden Gate in Series A for Singapore's MoneySmart
Singapore-based personal finance portal MoneySmart has raised S$2.8 million ($2 million) in a Series A round led by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Media Fund, with participation by Convergence Ventures, OPT SEA and Golden Gate Ventures.
CHAMP PE sells Australia's Alleasing to Monash
CHAMP Private Equity has sold Alleasing, an Australia-based leasing business, to Monash Private Capital in a deal said to be worth A$190 million ($135 million).
PE-backed China Huarong launches Hong Kong IPO
Huarong Asset Management, one of four groups tasked with managing non-performing loans (NPLs) from Chinese state-owned banks, is looking to raise up to $3 billion in a Hong Kong IPO.
Spice PE invests in Clearwater's India NBFC
Switzerland-based alternative investment firm Spice Private Equity has committed $10 million to Indian non-banking finance company (NBFC) Altico Capital India.
Japan virtual currency player gets $2.3m from VC backers
Orb, a Japanese start-up that has developed an authentication technology to facilitate the use of virtual currencies, has raised JPY274 million ($2.28 million) from a group of investors.
PEP-owned Link Group seeks up to $665m in Australia offering
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) portfolio company Link Group is looking to raise as much as A$946.5 million ($665 million) in an IPO on the Australian bourse.
Alibaba re-ups in India's Paytm
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and its online finance affiliate Ant Financial Services Group have made a further investment in Paytm, India's largest mobile payment and commerce platform.
Creation, Everstone lead $15m round for India's SLCM
Everstone Capital and Creation Investments Capital Management have led a INR1 billion ($15 million) round for Indian agricultural logistics firm Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM).
Bain invests $199m in India's L&T Finance
Bain Capital has acquired a 10.3% stake in L&T Finance Holdings, the financial services unit of Indian engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T), for approximately INR13.04 billion ($199 million).
China Post Capital invests in Alibaba's Ant Financial
China Post Capital, an investment arm of postal service operator China Post Group, has purchased a minority stake in Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s online financial services affiliate.
Australian SME lender Prospa raises $41m
Prospa, an online platform that focuses on lending to Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has raised A$60 million ($41 million) in a funding from a string of private equity firms.
JD Capital to acquire Ageas' HK life insurance unit for $1.4b
Chinese private equity firm JD Capital has agreed to buy Ageas’ Hong Kong life insurance business for HK$10.68 billion ($1.38 billion).
Portfolio: Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia and AMTD
Hong Kong-based financial advisor AMTD wants to meet the needs of mainland investors looking to access international markets. Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia is helping the firm best position itself
Deal focus: Standard Chartered PE backs exceptional Dianrong
Regulators are catching up with China’s booming online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry. Last month the People Bank of China (PBoC), in conjunction with nine other government agencies, issued the first guidelines for policing internet finance. P2P...
Japan's Freee raises $30m Series C round
DCM, Recruit Holdings and Japan Co-Invest have committed $30 million in Series C funding to Freee, a Japan-based provider of automated online accounting software.
India's One97 to split e-commerce, payments businesses - report
Indian mobile services One97 Communications will spin off its electronic payment service Paytm into a separate entity under One97's co-founder Shekhar Sharma.
Standard Chartered, CFF lead $207m round for China's Dianrong
A consortium co-led by Standard Chartered Bank and China Fintech Fund (CFF) has invested $207 million in a Series C round of funding for Dianrong.com, a Chinese VC-backed peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending service platform.
Japan bitcoin exchange raises $4m
Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange platform bitFlyer has raised a JPY510 million ($4 million) round of funding from a group of Japanese investors.
LeapFrog takes part in $25m round for India's IFMR Holdings
LeapFrog Investments and Lok Capital have taken part in a $25 million funding round, led by global microfinance-oriented nonprofit Accion, for Indian non-banking finance company (NBFC) IFMR Holdings.