Sectors
Creating cross border opportunities
Venture capital and private equity has always played an important role in the transfer of technology, talent and brands names from developed Western markets into Asia. This is perhaps best illustrated by the spate of “me-too” companies that mimicked the...
PE-backed 1st Holdings sells stake to Salesforce.com
Advantage Partners-owned Japanese software maker 1st Holdings has received an investment from US-based enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com.
Spotless suspends shares ahead of news on PEP buyout bid
Spotless Group has suspended trading of its shares ahead of an announcement regarding Pacific Equity Partners’ (PEP) buyout offer for the cleaning services company. The private equity firm has reportedly improved its bid to A$745 million ($766.7 million)...
Global Environment Fund hires ex-IDFC PE chief Luis Miranda
Luis Miranda, founder of Infrastructure Development Finance Co’s (IDFC) private equity business, has joined Global Environment Fund (GEF) as a senior advisor. Based in Mumbai, Miranda will contribute to GEF’s private equity investments in India and South...
CapVest exits United Coffee to Japan's UCC
CapVest has sold United Coffee, one of Europe’s largest coffee companies, to Japanese trade buyer UCC Holdings for EUR500 million ($617 million).
Edelweiss-backed CSB to float
Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB), the Indian institution backed by Edelweiss Capital, AIF Capital, Gartmore Private Equity and Siguler Guff, plans to launch an IPO by September.
Carlyle in mix for $1.8b Kyobo Life stake
The Carlyle Group appears to be one of several private equity firms vying for a $1.8 billion stake in South Korea’s Kyobo Life Insurance.
Thakral board likely to reject Brookfield's $424m buyout offer
The board of Thakral Holdings, the Australian hotel, retail and commercial property investor, is expected to reject a A$409.8 million ($424.2 million) takeover bid from Brookfield Asset Management. The Canadian private equity firm already owns a substantial...
Bright Food, Lion Capital in talks over Weetabix sale – report
China’s Bright Food Group is being lined up as a potential buyer for Weetabix, the UK-based cereal company currently owned by Lion Capital. The private equity firm has reportedly been in talks with Bright Food for several weeks over a deal that would...
SAIF, Accel invest $5m in PropTiger
Venture capital firms SAIF Partners and Accel Partners have invested INR250 million ($5 million) in PropTiger Realty, an Indian online property marketing firm.
PE-backed Haitong Securities raises $1.7b in Hong Kong IPO
Shanghai-listed brokerage Haitong Securities, China's second-biggest brokerage by assets, has raised HK$13 billion ($1.7 billion) in Hong Kong’s biggest IPO since December of last year.
KKR, Goldman invest $53m in India's TVS Logistics
KKR has agreed to invest $47 million in TVS Logistics, an Indian supply chain manager that services the auto, distribution, electronics and component manufacturing industries. As part of the transaction, existing investor Goldman Sachs will inject a further...
Navis' Adampak takeover offer now unconditional
Navis Capital Partners has announced that its S$110.7 million ($87.9 million) takeover offer for Singapore-listed Adampak has become unconditional, making its proposed acquisition of the label company almost guaranteed.
Bain, TPG ask for Lilliput audit report to be made public
Bain Capital and TPG Capital filed an application with Delhi High Court Thursday, requesting that an interim report by a court-appointed independent auditor on portfolio company Lilliput Kidswear be made public. The private equity firms have been in conflict...
Olympus Capital invests $38m in Karur Vysya
Olympus Capital Holdings Asia has bought a 4.8% stake in India’s Karur Vysya Bank for $38.34 million as part of a PIPE transaction. It comes one month after ChrysCapital invested $31 million in the bank.
India's Future Supply Chain seeks PE funding
Indian logistics provider Future Supply Chains is seeking a second round of private equity funding in order to diversify its business into consumer-driven sectors.
Carlyle-backed AvanStrate nixes IPO again - report
AvanStrate, the Japanese LCD glass manufacturer owned by The Carlyle Group, appears to have called off its plans for a $266 million initial public offering for the second time in a year.
General Atlantic raises $129m through Zhongsheng sale
General Atlantic completed its third partial exit from Zhongsheng Group, a Chinese luxury car dealer, raising $129 million. The private equity firm sold 65 million shares at HK$15.33-15.54 apiece, representing a discount of up to 4.3% on the previous...
KKR takes 24% stake in China blood banker
It is a newborn child's first-ever insurance policy: Cord blood, rich in stem cells, is taken from the umbilical cord shortly after birth and placed into storage, only to be used if the child is later stricken by a serious illness. Cord blood can help...
CVC seizes rare chance to buy HK telecom asset
Private equity mega-deals are a comparative rarity in Hong Kong. Discount pre-IPO investments in large Chinese state-owned enterprises and one is left with a number of significant minority transactions and barely a handful of buyouts. Until last week,...
TA continues India spree by backing BillDesk
TA Associates' decision to establish a permanent India presence appears to be paying off. The firm’s first investment in the country was completed in 2006 but four of its five deals have come since the Mumbai office opened in late 2009. BillDesk, an online...
Has the China online video story run its course?
The merger of online video sites Youku and Tudou ensures market dominance, but they must still bring costs under control in a competitive environment. Investors are advised to sell up or stay out
Bamboo Finance backs Greenlight Planet in $4m round
Bamboo Finance has invested in Greenlight Planet, a manufacturer of solar-powered lanterns, in a $4 million funding round alongside existing investor P.K. Sinha, co-founder of ZS Associates.
Noah eyes $2.8b China real estate fund
Noah Holdings, the Shanghai-headquartered third-party financial advisory company, is seeking to launch a real estate fund worth as much as RMB18 billion ($2.85 billion). It will target cash-strapped developers who are seeking new sources of funding.