Asia
ShawKwei commits $34m to US EV battery manufacturer
Asia-focused industrial technology investor ShawKwei & Partners has announced its third investment in a US-based company in three weeks, with a USD 34.3m commitment to battery manufacturer Group14 Technologies.
TPG Asia managing partner expands coverage to Middle East
Ganen Sarvananthan, an Asia managing partner at TPG, has been awarded an expanded brief that now includes the Middle East.
Asia Heritage seals partnership with Italy's Obsidian Capital
Asia Heritage, an asset management business launched by Chris Lerner, formerly of Eaton Partners and MSA Capital, is supporting Obsidian Capital as the Italian firm expands into Asia.
Juan Delgado-Moreira named co-CEO of Hamilton Lane
Juan Delgado-Moreira, currently a Hong Kong-based vice chair at private markets specialist Hamilton Lane, has been promoted to co-CEO of the firm.
Generative AI in due diligence: Crunching new numbers
Private equity is rediscovering artificial intelligence as a due diligence tool in the wake of ChatGPT. Data security, legal, and technical risks have curbed uptake somewhat, less so for venture
China secondaries: Willing sellers?
Few, if any, LPs are so desperate to divest China exposure that they will sell fund positions at any price. The main sticking point for secondary transactions is a disconnect on valuations
SEC votes through disclosure reforms for private funds
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted new transparency rules for private equity managers requiring increased reporting, special terms disclosure, and annual fund audits.
Japan VCs back $100m round for local impact investor Gojo
Japanese impact investor and microfinance institution Gojo & Company has secured a USD 100m Series E from a group of local VC investors including Global Brain and Globis Capital Partners.
CVC passes $4.4b on latest Asia fundraise
CVC Capital Partners has hit the USD 4.45bn mark on its sixth pan-Asian fund, following a first close of USD 3.5bn at the end of last year.
Legal action accuses investors of aiding and abetting FTX fraud
Temasek Holdings and SoftBank Group are named in a US class-action lawsuit that claims investors aided and abetted fraud at collapsed crypto exchange FTX.
Hillhouse buys offshore corporate services unit from Harneys
Hillhouse Investment, the buyout and growth capital unit of Asia-based Hillhouse Group, has agreed to acquire the fiduciary services business of global offshore law firm Harneys.
AVCJ Awards 2023 - nominations have closed
Nominations for the 2023 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards have now closed. Thanks to all who participated. Voting will open in about two weeks.
MBK launches sixth North Asia fund, targets $7b
North Asia-focused buyout firm MBK Partners has set a target of USD 7bn for its sixth flagship fund, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
Affinity managing partner to retire
Chul-joo Lee is retiring from Affinity Equity Partners at the end of August. He will become the second managing partner to leave the pan-regional buyout firm in the past 12 months.
Deal focus: AGIC eyes beauty with industrial characteristics
Pure Trade runs a network of third-party manufacturers that provide packaging to global beauty brands. AGIC saw an asset that sat neatly in its Asia-Europe industrial supply chain sweet spot
Fund focus: Eurazeo’s climate thesis resonates with LPs
Eurazeo shattered the target for its second smart city fund thanks to an agenda that dovetails with LP interest in decarbonisation. Nine Asian LPs backed the fund and 35% of the corpus will be deployed in the region
Asia deal financing: A selective market
Regional buyout activity is weak but leveraged loans are available for the right kind of target – in Japan, Korea, Australia, and beyond – and with a suitably customised structure
Eurazeo draws on Asian support for $448m smart city fund
France-based GP Eurazeo won support from several Asian institutional investors for its latest smart city fund, which has closed on EUR 400m (USD 445m). The vehicle is also expected to deploy significantly in the region.
Asia fundraising frustrates in first half of 2023
Asia PE fundraising reached USD 60.3bn in the first half of 2023, down 7.6% year-on-year, but the total was still skewed upwards by activity in the renminbi-denominated space. Capital committed to US dollar funds alone was USD 21.8bn, down from USD 48.2bn.
2Q analysis: Still scrambling
State-supported deals prop up Asia private equity investment; GPs hustle for liquidity in an unforgiving exit landscape; ex-China mid-market players gain some traction in fundraising
Ares to buy Asia's Crescent Point
Crescent Point Capital, a China and Southeast Asia-focused private equity firm with around USD 3.8bn in assets under management (AUM), has agreed to a 100% acquisition by Ares Management.
Muzinich closes debut Asia debt fund on $500m
Muzinich & Co has closed its debut Asia private debt fund on USD 500m. It aims to provide flexible financing to underserved middle market companies regionwide.
PAG COO David Kim retires
David Kim, a partner and COO of PAG’s private equity division, has retired from the firm after 13 years.