Financials
NVP India broadens focus to include into seed, late-stage deals
Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) India is expanding its investment strategy to include seed and late-stage transactions, having previously focused on venture and growth deals. The firm is also broadening its sector coverage to include healthcare, education...
CIC's Central Huijin boosts China bank stakes
Central Huijin Investment, the unit of China Investment Corp. (CIC) responsible for holdings in the country’s major state-owned banks, has been buying shares in these lenders to boost valuations. It took similar action in September 2008 as credit markets...
Coffee Day subsidiary Way2Wealth gets $30m from KKR
Indian boutique financial services firm Way2Wealth will receive $30 million from KKR in what is expected to be a structured financing deal rather than a typical private equity placement.
General Atlantic plans four India deals worth up to $200m each
General Atlantic is considering four acquisitions in India worth $100-200 million each, according to Ranjit Pandit, the private equity firm’s head of investments in the country. The planned deals were in the internet, logistics, financial services and...
SBI makes first foray into Cambodia
Japanese Financial Group SBI Holdings has entered Cambodia through the creation of a private equity fund in partnership with Royal Group, the country’s largest conglomerate. It is SBI’s second overseas joint venture vehicle this year, following the formation...
Carlyle purchases 9% stake in India Infoline
The Carlyle Group has acquired a 9% stake in the listed unit of India Infoline Group (IIFL), a retail and institutional brokerage, on the open market.
Aeon nears acquisition of bankrupt Incubator Bank of Japan
Aeon Bank, a unit of the retail and financial conglomerate Aeon Group, is in the final round of talks to purchase the bankrupt Incubator Bank of Japan, The Nikkei reported.
Blackstone jettisons India asset management interests
Blackstone Group is exiting India Fund Inc., its largest India-focused closed-end mutual fund scheme, to Aberdeen Asset Management Asia.
AXA tipped to sell private equity unit for around $670m
French insurer AXA has put its private equity unit up for sale in order to focus on its core insurance business.
CIC in talks over potential investment in Northern Rock
China Investment Corp. (CIC) is being courted by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson as a potential partner for Virgin Money in a bid for UK lender Northern Rock. The bank, which received a GBP1.4 billion government bailout in 2008, is tipped to...
Investors in the dark on Indonesian bank ownership
Foreign investors in Indonesian banks might soon face a conundrum: After years spent working to establish a local presence in the market, they may be forced to sell down.
India's alternative lenders
India needs alternative funding channels. A characteristic of most financial sectors in emerging nations is limited product range, which means capital often fails to reach those enterprises with the potential to deliver the best returns. A truck company,...
Northstar closes in on fourth deal for $820m third fund
Northstar Pacific is poised to secure a fourth deal for Northstar Equity Partners III, which recently reached a final close of $820 million. The four transactions are expected to account for around 20% of the fund’s corpus, a source familiar with the...
Temasek, QIA back Citic Securities' $1.9b IPO
Temasek Holdings and the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) are among seven cornerstone investors that have together committed $850 million to Citic Securities’ Hong Kong IPO. The company, China’s largest brokerage by market value, is seeking to raise...
Fosun, Prudential announce insurance joint venture
Chinese financial conglomerate Fosun Group and Prudential Financial have announced their life insurance joint venture, the first such partnership between Chinese and foreign parties since 2008. Fosun and Prudential – known outside the US as Pramerica...
South African insurer to buy 26% stake in Shriram Capital
Some private equity investors in Shriram Capital (SCL) will be granted an exit opportunity as a result of South African insurer Sanlam’s acquisition of a 26% stake in the company. The deal is estimated to be worth INR20 billion ($430 million), with regulatory...
ANZ no longer in talks to buy Cerberus' Aozora stake
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) has ended discussions over a potential investment in Aozora Bank. Talks with Cerberus Capital concerning its 50% stake in the Japanese lender floundered at an early stage because the two sides could not agree...
PE firms struggle to secure Woori stake
It was the $6 billion question: Would the Korean government sell control of the country’s third-largest lender to a private equity firm? Had the answer been yes - and Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) exited Woori Financial Group to one of three local...
China Life to launch PE vehicle
China Life has become the first Chinese insurance company to be granted a license by domestic regulators to raise private equity and real estate funds. Under rules published by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) last September, insurers...
ANZ in talks to buy Cerberus' Aozora Bank stake – report
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) has begun negotiations to buy Cerberus Capital’s 50% stake in Aozora Bank, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the situation. ANZ is said to be attracted by the Japanese lender’s strong deposit...
Nomura appointed to oversee sale of Tokyo Star Bank
Lone Star Funds and its fellow creditors have hired Nomura to sell off Tokyo Star Bank, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Lone Star sold the asset to Advantage Partners (AP) less than four years ago but resumed...
Bank of America raises $8.3b in partial exit from CCB
Bank of America (BofA) on Monday sold about half its 10% holding in China Construction Bank (CCB), raising $8.3 billion. The lender, which is in the process of shedding non-core assets and boosting its tier-one capital, sold 13.1 billion shares to group...
Bendigo-led consortium invests in Akatsuki Financial
A consortium led by Bendigo Partners has made a strategic investment in Akatsuki Financial Group, a Japan based mid-sized financial services firm, specializing in retail brokerage and asset management. Financial details were not announced.
Bank of America expected to exit over half its CCB stake this week
Bank of America (BofA) is on course to sell more than half its stake in China Construction Bank (CCB) for up to $10 billion this week. A consortium of Asian and Middle East sovereign wealth funds as well as several private equity firms are in negotiations...