Asia
VC and supercomputing: Access denied
VCs continue to shun the field of supercomputing despite new commercial upside related to the rise of artificial intelligence. Asia, however, could offer a relatively competitive launchpad for start-ups in the segment
Outsourced CIO: Secret sauce
Teams spinning out from US endowments are competing in an increasingly competitive market for outsourced investment mandates from institutions. Scale and differentiation are the key selling points
ICG appoints Southeast Asia PE, mezzanine head
Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) has appointed Escamillo Lin, formerly of CDH Investments, as managing director and head of Southeast Asia for private equity and mezzanine.
Q&A: Eaton Partners' Chris Lerner
Chris Lerner, a partner and head of Asia at placement agent Eaton Partners, discusses why LPs are allocating more capital to private equity in the region and who are the biggest beneficiaries
Fund focus: Carlyle tackles growth transformation
The Carlyle Group expects to find more than enough opportunities in Asia's ongoing economic growth for the $6.55 billion corpus of its latest Asia buyout fund
CITIC Securities fund makes pre-IPO investment in ESR
China’s CITIC Securities has made a pre-IPO investment of undisclosed size in pan-Asian logistic company and fund manager E-Shang Redwood (ESR).
PE-backed Cushman & Wakefield prepares for US listing
A global commercial property services provider that TPG Capital and PAG Asia Capital created through the merger of Australia’s DTZ with US-based Cassidy Turley and Cushman & Wakefield, has filed for a US IPO.
Carlyle closes Asia fund at $6.55b
The Carlyle Group has closed its fifth Asia buyout fund at $6.55 billion, exceeding its predecessor by more than 65%.
Blackstone closes debut Asia PE fund at $2.3b
The Blackstone Group has achieved a final close on its maiden Asia-focused private equity fund at a revised hard cap of $2.3 billion.
Actis hires new Asia investor relations head
Actis has appointed Ellen Li, formerly of Janus Henderson Global Investors, as a managing director and head of its investor development group in Asia.
TPG buys stake in Asia secondaries specialist NewQuest
TPG Capital has agreed to take a minority stake in Asia-focused NewQuest Capital Partners, with a view to helping the secondaries specialist scale up its platform and address a wider variety of opportunities in an expanding yet underpenetrated market.
Talent shortages hinder Asian LPs' private equity returns
Asian LPs see a shortage of qualified professionals capable of executing investment programs as the biggest obstacle to improving their private equity returns.
Fund focus: Advantage set for Asia ex-Japan push
Advantage Partners aims to build on the firm's experience connecting Asian entrepreneurs with opportunities in Japan in its first Asia-focused fund
Permira, Hillhouse agree $1.7b Magento exit
Permira and Hillhouse Capital will sell their stakes in Magento Commerce, a US company that provides transaction-processing software to e-commerce players, to Adobe as part of a $1.7 billion transaction.
CPPIB's Asia private equity exposure tops $13b
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) continues to ramp up its exposure to Asian private equity, with called and uncalled commitments rising 27% to C$17.1 billion ($13.3 billion) for the 12 months ended March 2018.
JD.com invests in PE-backed Asia logistics platform
Chinese online retailer JD.com has invested $306 million in e-Shang Redwood (ESR), a private equity-backed pan-Asia logistics operator and fund manager.
Japan's Advantage closes debut Asia fund at $380m
Japanese GP Advantage Partners has closed its first Asia-focused fund with total commitments of $380 million. Investments have already been made in China, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
Fund focus: HQ prepares for Asia secondary surge
Having raised $250 million for an Asia secondary fund, HQ Capital remains the only global multi-strategy firm with a vehicle dedicated to the region. It expects a significant uptick in deal flow over the next few years
Permira postpones Asia fundraise
Permira has put plans for a debut Asia fund on hold as it prioritizes managing existing portfolio companies in the region. The firm was talking to investors about raising $1.5 billion.
Deal focus: CVC targets consolidation in online trading
CVC Capital Partners is looking to replicate elements of its successful investment in IG Global with Oanda Global Corporation, an online currency trading platform positioned for substantial growth in Asia
GP profile: Intermediate Capital Group
In recent years Intermediate Capital Group has branched out beyond traditional mezzanine to embrace deal structures that have no sponsor. It sees ample opportunities in Asia’s developed markets
Baring Asia, PAI Partners buy cargo freight manager
Baring Private Equity Asia has teamed up with Europe-focused PAI Partners to acquire World Freight Company International (WFCI), which markets and manages cargo freight capacity for airlines.
Carlyle hires ex-Kingsoft CEO as senior advisor
The Carlyle Group has appointed former Kingsoft CEO Hongjiang Zhang as a senior advisor to its Asian private equity business. The move is intended to deepen the firm’s coverage of the internet and technology space.
ESG: Policy pitfalls
Environmental, social and governance management must be handled properly to leverage its promised performance improvements. Risks around poor execution cut across all aspects of private equity