Sectors
India's Varthana raises $14m Series B
Indian education-focused non-banking finance company (NBFC) Varthana has raised INR930 million ($14 million) in Series B funding, led by new investors Kaizen Private Equity and Zephyr Peacock India.
PE consortium battles Ping An for China's Autohome
Boyu Capital, Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia Capital have submitted a take-private offer for Chinese auto listings and information service Autohome. This follows Telstra agreeing to sell its majority stake in the business to Ping An Insurance Group.
VC-backed Dada Nexus merges with JD’s O2O business
Dada Nexus, a China-based crowdsourcing delivery platform backed by several VC investors, has agreed to merge with JD Daojia, the online-to-offline (O2O) business unit of e-commerce giant JD.com.
T. Rowe Price marks down Flipkart valuation
Mutual fund T. Rowe Price has marked down its valuation of Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, along with a number of its other technology portfolio companies.
Fosun Kinzon leads $23m round for China’s Huivo
Fosun Kinzon Capital, a VC arm of Fosun Group, has led a RMB150 million ($23 million) extended Series B round of funding for Huivo, a Chinese online education solutions provider for kindergartens.
GIC partners with Indonesia's MMP for logistics JV
Singapore’s GIC Private has entered into a joint venture with Indonesian industrial properties provider Mega Manunggal Property (MMP) to develop an extended warehouse portfolio.
XIO Group to buy JD Power for $1.1b
XIO Group, which targets assets in North America and Europe with a view to unlocking growth potential in emerging markets such as Asia, has agreed to acquire market research business J.D. Power for $1.1 billion.
China online finance site Licaifan completes $51m round
Licaifan, a Chinese online finance platform, has raised a RMB330 million ($51 million) Series C round of funding from domestic investor Yingda Investment.
China discounted e-commerce site Juanpi raises $93m
Juanpi.com, a Chinese online platform selling discounted consumer products, has raised a RMB600 million ($93 million) Series C round of funding co-led by Tiantu Capital and China Merchant Bank International.
Walden leads $2.6m round for Singapore's TabSquare
Walden International has led a S$3.5 million ($2.6 million) Series A round for TabSquare, a company offering a cloud-based restaurant management platform.
Chinese online grocer FreshMarket raises $38m round
Addor Capital has led a RMB249 million ($38 million) Series C round of funding for FreshMarket, an online grocery service based in China.
China’s Ucar raises $569m, files for NEEQ listing
Chinese chauffeured car service provider Ucar has raised RMB3.68 billion ($569 million) from domestic investors including Yunfeng Capital ahead of a proposed listing on the National Equities Exchange and Quotation (NEEQ).
Japan's Gree raises $12m fund for VR start-ups
Japan's Gree has launched a $12 million fund to support virtual reality (VR) start-ups focusing on both gaming and non-gaming software and content.
Alibaba invests $1.25b in food delivery platform Ele.me
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and its online finance affiliate Ant Financial Services Group have invested $1.25 billion in Ele.me, a VC-backed online food-ordering platform.
Goldman, Blue Sky buy Australia student accommodation group
Goldman Sachs and Blue Sky Alternative Investments have taken a controlling stake in The Pad, an Australian student accommodation group, as part a $1 billion joint venture.
PE investors guardedly optimistic on Indonesia - AVCJ Forum
Private equity investors are guardedly optimistic about Indonesia, with positive sentiment about government reforms and rising deal flow tempered by concerns about the difficult investment environment.
Gaw reaches $700m first close on Asia real estate fund
Hong Kong-based private equity real estate investor Gaw Capital has reached a first close of $700 million on its fifth Asia-focused real estate fund.
Aquiline, Genstar exit AssetMark to China’s Huatai for $780m
China’s Huatai Securities has agreed to purchase financial consultancy group AssetMark for $780 million from US-based PE firms Aquiline Capital Partners and Genstar Capital.
China serviced apartment chain Mofang raises $300m
Mofang Gongyu, a Shanghai-based serviced apartment chain operator, has raised $300 million in a Series C round of funding led by AVIC Trust. Existing backer Warburg Pincus also participated.
WestBridge offers $52m for controlling stake in India's DFM
WestBridge Capital Partners has made a public offer to pay INR3.4 billion ($52 million) for a controlling stake in Indian snack maker DFM Foods.
Alibaba buys majority stake in Rocket Internet's Lazada for $1b
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has paid about $1 billion for a majority stake in Lazada, a Southeast Asia-based e-commerce platform founded by Germany's Rocket Internet, in a transaction that values the company at $1.5 billion.
Deal focus: Navis to grow Texon outside the shoebox
After a major turnaround for Texon International, Navis aims to reinforce management's strengths and help the company reach the next level
Deal focus: VCs back Kyulux to be leading light
VCs and strategic investors demonstrate confidence in Kyulux to produce energy-efficient digital displays with higher quality at a lower price
Deal focus: Ticket Monster targets seamless service
Korea's NHN Entertainment seeks payment synergies with PE-backed e-commerce marketplace Ticket Monster