Financials
Ceyuan leads $10m Series A for China bitcoin exchange
Ceyuan Ventures has led a $10 million Series A round of funding for OKCoin, which claims to be the China’s largest bitcoin exchange by trading volume. Mandra Capital and existing backer VenturesLab also participated.
PE-backed Manappuram acquires Jaypee Hotels NBFC
Manappuram Finance, a listed non-bank financial company (NBFC) backed by Baring Private Equity India and India Equity Partners (IEP) among others, is to acquire Milestone Home Finance Company - a unit of Jaypee Hotels - for an undisclosed amount.
Hao completes Pax Technology exit for 4.7x return
Hao Capital has fully exited Chinese electronic payment systems provider Pax Technology, selling its remaining 7.6% stake in the Hong Kong-listed company for $44 million through a block trade. The investment has generated a gross multiple of 4.7x.
Warburg Pincus, HDFC buy fresh shares in Capital First
Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC) Capital First is raising INR1.78 billion via preferential allotment of shares to existing investors Warburg Pincus and HDFC Standard Life Insurance.
China's NSSF joins cornerstones for Poly Culture IPO
China’s National Council for Social Security Fund (NSSF) will commit about $19.8 million as a cornerstone investor in Poly Culture’s HK$2.57 billion ($331 million) Hong Kong IPO.
Ventech invests in China P2P lending platform Jimubox
Ventech Capital, a France-based VC firm, has provided a Series A round of funding for Beijing-based peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform Jimubox.com. Transaction details were not disclosed but the investment is worth about $10 million.
IFC commits $50m to India's Cholamandalam NBFC
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of World Bank, is investing INR3.15 billion ($50.7 million) in non-banking finance company (NBFC) Cholamandalam Investment & Finance (CIF).
IFC pumps $91m into Indian financial services providers
International finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, has committed around $91 million in three PE-backed non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India: Magma Fincorp, Bandhan Financial Services and Au Financiers.
Quadrant exits Australia, New Zealand home equity release assets
Quadrant Private Equity has agreed to sell Seniors Money International’s (SMI) New Zealand and Australian home equity release mortgage businesses to New Zealand’s Heartland Bank for NZ$87 million ($72.8 million).
Japan's Digital Garage leads $10m round for Betaworks
Japanese incubator Digital Garage (DG) has invested $10 million in Betaworks, a New York-based early-stage tech investor. DG contributed $7.5 million to the round with the balance coming from a group of angel investors.
India impact investments total $390m in 2013 - Unitus
Private equity impact investments in India totaled $390 million across 80 deals last year – comprising 23% of all PE transactions in the country - says Bangalore-based financial advisor Unitus Capital.
GE, SAC exit Taiwan's Cosmos Bank
GE Capital and SAC Capital will exit Taiwan’s Cosmos Bank to domestic financial services conglomerate China Development Financial Holding Corp. The announcement of the NT$23.1 billion ($762.4 million) deal, which was priced below market value, saw Cosmos...
Matrix India leads Series B for Mswipe
Mswipe Technologies, a Mumbai-based mobile payment services provider, has raised a Series B round of funding led by existing investor Matrix Partners India. Axis Bank and DSG Consumer Partners also participated.
PE firms to bid for China Huarong stake – report
A group of around 20 investors are said to be preparing to submit first-round offers for a minority stake worth $2 billion in China Huarong Asset Management ahead of the non-performing loan (NPL) manager’s IPO.
Singapore's Luminor Capital invests $6.1m Swiss NGFI
Luminor Capital, a Singapore-based private equity firm, has invested CHF5.5 million ($6.1 million)in Switzerland's Next Generation Finance Invest (NGFI).
SC Lowy, Yuil PE buy Korea's Shinmin Mutual Savings Bank
Hong Kong-based investing and trading firm SC Lowy has teamed up with a South Korean private equity fund known as Yuil PE to buy Shinmin Savings Bank. The institution’s name will change to Choeun Mutual Savings Bank.
Hao Capital makes $80m partial exit from Pax Technology
Hao Capital has made another partial exit from electronic payment systems provider Pax Technology, selling a 15.1% equity stake for around $80 million through a block trade. The private equity firm has now realized $100 million on an original investment...
Sequoia leads $13m investment in India's BankBazaar.com
Sequoia Capital has led a $13 million round of investment in Indian financial services portal BankBazaar.com. Walden International, which invested $6 million in the company in 2011, also participated in the round.
KKR backs FIWA acquisition of CHAMP-owned Centric Wealth
KKR’s credit unit, KKR Asset Management, is partnering with Australia’s Financial Index Wealth Accountants (FIWA) in its takeover bid for CHAMP Private Equity-owned high net worth financial advisory Centric Wealth. KKR will provide acquisition funding...
Fosun pays $1.36b to buy Portugese insurer Caixa
China's Fosun International has acquired an 80% stake in Caixa Seguros e Saúde (CSS), the insurance unit of Portugese state bank Caixa Geral de Depositos SA for EUR1 billion ($1.36 billion), beating out Apollo Management International.
CNEI ups takes in China's Juxin International Leasing
China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI) has committed additional $16.3 million in Juxin International Leasing, increasing its stakes in the Chinese specialty leasing company to 19.08%.
NLVC backs Chinese P2P lending platform Dianrong
Northern Light Venture Capital (NLVC) has led a Series A round of funding for Chinese P2P lending service Dianrong. The specific investment amount was not disclosed but the company said it was tens of millions of dollars.
Advent exits India's CAMS as NSE buys 45% stake
Advent International has fully exited its stake in Computer Age Management Services (CAMS) after a subsidiary of India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE) bought a 45% stake in the company, which provides transaction processing and other back office services...
Blackstone to up stake in India's MCX to 4.99%
Blackstone is to increase its stake in the Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) to as much as 4.99%. The proposed purchase comes after Blackstone picked up 2% in the commodity bourse for INR1.04 billion ($16.6 million) in March this year.