Asia
Placement agent First Avenue opens Hong Kong office
Private placement agent and advisory firm First Avenue has opened an office in Hong Kong. It will be led by Michael Henningsen, previously a managing director at Park Hill Group.
Family office fundraising: Face to face
Dealing with a family office can be uniquely challenging for GPs. Managers who want success have to be able to handle the unique dynamics of this situation
Evergreen funds: The long hold
The notion of patient or permanent capital draws interest from both GPs and LPs, but evergreen funds are rare in the US and even rarer in Asia. This state of affairs is unlikely to change any time soon
Money troubles: PE compensation
A lack of transparency over compensation - or just a lack of compensation - is partly responsible for the still relatively high turnover in Asian private equity
Placement agent Eaton agrees sale to Stifel
Placement agent and advisory firm Eaton Partners has agreed to be acquired by Stifel Financial Corp, a US-listed financial services holding company with a strong presence in investment banking and wealth management.
Adams Street's PV Wang to step back
Piau-Voon Wang, a partner at Adams Street Partners who opened the firm’s Singapore office in 2006, is stepping back and transitioning to an advisory role.
Shaw Kwei strengthens Hong Kong team
Middle market Asian PE firm Shaw Kwei & Partners has hired Brian Lau as an executive director based in its Hong Kong office.
Asian GPs should share the wealth internally - AVCJ Forum
The Asian private equity talent pool is deepening but GPs must ensure their compensation schemes are well balanced in order to retain mid-level staff, industry participants told the AVCJ Forum.
Asia co-investment: The waiting game
Large-scale co-investment will take time to get traction in Asia
KKR commits $300m to Asia media investment platform
KKR has committed $300 million to a Emerald Media, an investment platform that will target media and entertainment opportunities across Asia. The Chernin Group is participating as a minority co-investor in the deal.
PE investors see opportunity amidst volatility - AVCJ Forum
Asian private equity is experiencing some volatility – driven in part by macroeconomic concerns and public markets turbulence – but investors told the AVCJ Forum that they are still finding ample opportunities.
Bain, Baring lead the way at AVCJ Awards
With four investments, four partial exits, two IPOs and a string of dividend payments over the past 12 months, Bain Capital was named firm of the year at the 2015 AVCJ Private Equity and Venture Capital Awards.
VIDEO: Oaktree's Howard Marks
Oaktree Capital Management has been following a mantra of “move forward, but with caution,” since 2011, and Howard Marks, the firm’s chairman, told AVCJ earlier this year that he has seen no reason to change this outlook
Asia PE 2015: Guarded optimism
Private equity deal flow this year has been fed by several big auction deals, a healthy dose of co-investment, and ever larger late-stage tech rounds
High PE exposure drives Asia family office performance - study
Family offices in Asia Pacific produced the second-best performance globally in 2014, in part due to their relatively large private equity exposure, according to a new report.
3Q analysis: Digital dreamers
Early- and growth-stage technology deals dominate the China investment charts; middle market fundraising enjoys a rebound; private equity investors turn to trade sales as the public markets flounder
Deal focus: H&Q's reinvigoration factor
H&Q Asia Pacific's Silicon Valley-based innovation hub is intended to help established Asian companies find new avenues of growth in an increasingly challenging commercial landscape
RRJ Capital closes Fund III at $4.5b
RRJ Capital has closed its third fund – which invests globally, with an emphasis on China and Southeast Asia – at $4.5 billion after approximately nine months in the market.
Asia PE recruitment: Building blocks
As private equity continues to evolve in Asia, GPs want to recruit people with a wider array of talents – but industry participants are split on what skills these new hires should focus upon, and where to find them
LP interview: International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation helps emerging managers in frontier markets get off the ground. However, the current priority is to back more established managers in more established markets
ADB pledges to double annual climate financing to $6b
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will double its investment in countering climate change in developing countries to $6 billion by 2020, up from the current $3 billion.
VIDEO: Bain Capital's Stephen Pagliuca
Bain Capital’s strategy of raising funds that are smaller than those of its longstanding industry peers has been beneficial in terms of generating co-investment opportunities, says Stephen Pagliuca, a managing director at the firm
ESG in infrastructure: Laying the groundwork
Environmental regulations in Asia are not keeping track with the needs of local markets. PE professionals say investors can take the lead in developing and enforcing necessary standards
Secondaries specialist NewQuest to seek $500m for Fund III
NewQuest Capital Partners, which targets secondary direct transactions across Asia, wants to raise $500 million for its third pan-regional fund.