Financials
Ascent Capital invests $3.7m in CARE Ratings
Ascent Capital will invest INR250 million ($3.69 million) in Indian credit rating agency Credit Analysis and Research (CARE)
Lloyds sells Australia loan portfolio to Bain credit affiliate
Bain Capital credit affiliate Sankaty Advisors has agreed to pay Lloyds Banking Group A$371 million ($335 million) for loans held by BOS International Australia. It is the latest in a series of divestments from the BOS loan portfolio after KKR and Allegro...
MBK Partners to buy ING Life Korea for $1.65b
North Asia buyout firm MBK Partners has agreed to buy ING Group’s South Korean life insurance division for approximately KRW1.84 trillion ($1.65 billion) as the Dutch insurer continued its Asia divestment plan. ING will retain a 10% stake in the business...
TPG takes 23% stake in India's Shriram City Union NBFC
TPG Capital has acquired a direct 22.65% stake in Shriram City Union Finance (SCUF) following a restructuring of the non-bank financing company’s (NBFC) holding vehicles.
Phillip Capital takes stake in Indonesian equipment finance business
Singapore-based Phillip Capital Group has acquired a 9.71% stake in Intan Baruprana Finance (IBF), the financing arm of Indonesian heavy equipment distributor Intraco Penta, through a rights issue. Transaction value was not disclosed.
Aavishkaar backs Indian ATM outsourcing company EPS
Indian VC firm Aavishkaar has invested another $6 million in Electronic Payments and Services (EPS), after putting $4 million in the company last year.
Morgan Stanley leads $53m round in India's Janalakshmi MFI
Microfinance lender Janalakshmi Financial Services has raised INR3.25 billion ($52.8 million) in a Series D round of funding led by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia.
PE-backed Ratnakar Bank buys part of RBS' India business
Ratnakar Bank will acquire Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) Indian credit cards, mortgage and commercial banking portfolios for an undisclosed sum. The small-sized private sector lender has raised around INR10.7 billion ($177 million) from private equity...
IFM takes 34% stake in NZ's Scottish Pacific
Australia's Industry Funds Management (IFM) has taken a 34% stake in New Zealand financial services company Scottish Pacific.
Australia's IRESS acquires LDC-backed software firm Avelo
Australian software company IRESS is to acquire UK tech firm Avelo Financial Services Holdings from a private equity consortium including Lloyds TSB Development Capital (LTDC) for GBP210 million ($321 million)
IFC invests in Indian education NBFC
International Finance Corporation will back Avanse Financial Services with $2.3 million to help expand its ability to provide loans to Indian students pursuing higher education.
Financial technology: The new normal
Initiatives are in place to make private equity reporting faster, more detailed and completely standardized. Are the guidelines a good fit for the industry in Asia and what are GPs doing to meet them?
Advantage Partners exits Japan's Kazaka Securities
Japanese mid-market buyout firm Advantage Partners has sold its stake in Kazaka Securities to Osaka-based Naito Securities. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
MBK in exclusive talks with ING to acquire Korea unit - report
MBK Partners has reportedly entered into exclusive talks regarding the sale of ING Groep's South Korean life insurance business. The private equity firm is said to have offered KRW1.8 trillion ($1.6 billion) for the entire operation.
DBS abandons takeover bid for Indonesia's Bank Danamon
Singapore’s DBS Group has abandoned its $7.3 billion takeover bid for Indonesia’s Bank Danamon after deciding the regulatory hurdles were insurmountable.
Nomura, Next Capital-backed Ashikaga files for IPO - report
Ashikaga Holdings, which is backed by Nomura Financial Partners and Next Capital Partners, has applied to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) for what could be a $1 billion IPO.
KKR seeks investors to expand India NBFC
KKR is in talks with overseas investors to infuse capital into its non-banking financial company (NBFC) in India, KKR India Financial Services.
GCS sees Dexia asset management deal collapse - Update
GCS Capital's EUR380m ($503 million) bid to acquire the asset management arm of Dexia collapsed yesterday after the Franco-Belgian bank said the Hong Kong PE firm had been unable to pay for the deal.
China banking reform: Share the wealth
China's first step in interest rate liberalization might herald a series of reforms that make financial services more market-oriented. But where does shadow banking fit into it?
PE and China's financial sector flaws
The liquidity squeeze engineered by China's central bank in June, which temporarily made it more expensive for commercial banks to lend money to one another, was generally regarded as an effort to remind said banks about the importance of solid asset...
PE-backed OzForex considers IPO - report
OzForex, an Australian online foreign exchange platform backed by The Carlyle Group, Accel Partners and Macquarie Group, is said to be considering an IPO that could raise around A$500 million ($643 million).
Malaysia's Khazanah in Turkish insurance buyout, Abraaj exits
Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional has agreed to pay $252 million for a 90% stake in Turkish health insurer Acibadem Sigorta. The investment facilitates the exit of The Abraaj Group, which held a 50% stake in the business.
Japan's Meiji Yasuda beats PE to Thai Life stake
Japan’s Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance has agreed to buy a 15% stake in Thai Life Insurance for an undisclosed sum, thought to be in the region of $750 million. Other participants in the auction reportedly included the Carlyle Group, KKR and CVC Capital...
GCS Capital, Dexia deal in doubt as deadline missed
GCS Capital's proposed EUR380 million ($502 million) purchase of the Dexia's asset management arm has been thrown in to doubt after the Franco-Belgian bank ceased talks on the deal yesterday.