Financials
Carlyle-backed China Pacific taps sovereign funds
China Pacific Insurance, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, has sold HK$10.4 billion ($1.3 billion) in new shares to Government of Singapore Investment Corp. (GIC), Norges Bank and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
Warburg Pincus gets FIPB approval for Future Capital deal
Warburg Pincus has won approval from India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for a INR8.08 billion ($145 million) investment in non-bank finance company (NBFC) Future Capital Holdings.
CIC trims financials exposure with partial exit from BlackRock
China Investment Corporation (CIC) has exited most of its holding in asset manager BlackRock as part of a wider effort to reduce its exposure to international financial institutions.
India regulator pulls plug on ACA PE's Repco Home deal
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has vetoed ACA Private Equity Trust’s proposed investment into Repco Home Finance because it contravenes the country’s venture capital regulations.
Crescent wins investor support after raising ClearView offer
Crescent Capital Partners has improved its buyout offer for Australian financial services provider ClearView Wealth, winning the support of leading shareholder Guinness Peat Group (GPG). The private equity firm is now offering A$0.55 per share, up from...
Cerberus-backed Aozora unveils plan to repay bailout cash
Aozora Bank, the Japanese lender in which Cerberus Capital holds a large stake, has pledged to repay JPY227.6 billion ($2.9 billion) in bailout money received during Japan’s financial crisis. The sum will be repaid over a 10-year period ending before...
Actis invests $40m in AGS Transact Technologies
Actis has invested $40 million in TPG-backed AGS Transact Technologies (AGS), one of the leading automatic teller machine (ATM) outsourcing and payments company in India.
Lok Capital ups stake in Ujjivan MFI, Bellwether exits
Lok Capital has reportedly upped its stake in India’s Ujjivan Microfinance by acquiring the 7% held by microfinance investor Bellwether. Another shareholder is set to exit its stake by the end of August.
Daewoo to sell $1.1b Kyobo Life stake to Affinity-led PE group
A group of investors led by Affinity Equity is buying a KRW1.2 trillion ($1.1 billion) stake in unlisted Kyobo Life Insurance, the smallest of South Korea’s Big Three life insurers, from Posco-owned Daewoo International.
History lessons of PE in Asia
With 2012 marking the 25th anniversary of the AVCJ Hong Kong Forum – and, give or take a year, the Asian Venture Capital Journal itself – we have been taking a trip down memory lane for some special content to be released later in the year. This involves...
Accura Infotech in talks to raise $36m from PE firms
Mumbai-based Accura Infotech, which installs automated teller machines (ATMs), is in advanced talks with private equity investors to raise up to INR2 billion ($36 million) to set up and operate ATMs for public sector banks in Uttar Pradesh. The company...
India's Vistaar receives $7m from VC players
Bangalore-based small enterprise financing company Vistaar Financial Services has raised INR400 million ($7.1 million) in Series B funding from Lok Capital and Omidyar Network as well as existing investors Elevar Equity and SVB Capital Partners.
Baring, ICICI Venture plan Karvy exit – report
Baring Private Equity Asia and ICICI Venture Funds Management, the private equity arm of India’s ICICI Bank, are reportedly in talks to sell their 31% stake in Karvy Stock Broking (KSBL).
PE firms target ING's Asian insurance assets – report
ING is said to be in talks with several parties, including Apollo Global Management, J.C. Flowers & Co. and a team backed by The Blackstone Group, over the sale of different parts of its Asian life insurance operations. The initial plan was to divest...
Polaris invests in Japan's Myland Real Estate
Polaris Capital Group has acquired a 30% voting stake in Myland Real Estate through its second country-focused fund. The investment is part of the Japanese property broker's wider strategy to expand its business in preparation for an IPO in the next couple...
Warburg's Future Capital offer faces delays
Warburg Pincus’ offer to buy a 26% stake in India's Future Capital Holdings (FCH), the financial services unit of the Future Group, has been delayed despite reports that the $100-125 million deal was finalized last month.
Korea's Woori sale fails yet again as no bidders materialize
The South Korean government’s latest attempt to exit its controlling stake in Woori Finance Holdings has failed after no one submitted a preliminary bid. The country’s financial regulator subsequently said “it would be difficult to mount another attempt...
Hony, GCS named preferred bidders for Dexia unit – report
Hony Capital has teamed up with GCS Capital, a PE firm founded by former investment banker Guocang Huan, to buy the asset management arm Dexia in a deal worth EUR500 million ($615 million). The Franco-Belgian financial group is one of the biggest victims...
India ATMs: Banking on convenience
Recognizing the need for more ATMs, a consortium of Indian banks has opened up the business to independent contractors. Numerous private equity-backed enterprises are waiting to swoop
Carlyle raises $738m in latest China Pacific sell-down
The Carlyle Group has sold $723 million of shares in China Pacific Insurance (CPIC) through a block trade, marking the private equity firm's fifth partial exit from the company since December 2010. Total returns are in excess of $4 billion, putting Carlyle...
Carlyle shelves plans to exit Taiwan's Ta Chong Bank
The Carlyle Group is no longer looking to sell its stake in Taiwan's Ta Chong Bank, citing tough global market conditions. The news comes after potential buyer Yuanta Financial reportedly walked away from a deal that valued the lender at up to T$37 billion...
Indonesia caps foreign ownership of local banks at 40%
Foreign ownership of Indonesian banks will be capped at 40%, although exceptions will be made for listed banks with strong financial health and high levels of tier-one capital. On this basis, it appears that DBS Group’s $7.2 billion bid for Bank Danamon...
Janalakshmi microfinance raises $26m from PE investors
Bangalore-based microfinance institution (MFI) Janalakshmi Financial Services has raised INR1.45 billion ($26.4 million) in a Series C round of funding from a group of investors.
Navis exits India call center business via trade sale
Navis Capital Partners has sold its majority stake in Andromeda Sales and Distribution, an Indian financial services distributor, to Casa Capital Management. It is the Malaysia-based private equity firm’s fourth exit in six months.