Australia
Anacacia Fund II reaches $75m first close
Australia’s Anacacia Capital has completed the first close of its Anacacia Fund II at $75 million within weeks of opening, raising 50% more than its original target. Superannuation funds, fund of funds and family offices from Australia and overseas are...
Australia's Hastings raises $626m for infrastructure fund
Hastings Funds Management announced that its Utilities Trust of Australia (UTA) has reached a first close on its infrastructure fund with commitments of A$610 million ($626 million). The amount is in line with expectations outlined in January 2012 and...
EB Private Equity abandons David Jones takeover bid
Little-known UK-based investor EB Private Equity has withdrawn its takeover bid for David Jones, Australia’s second-largest department store chain. The group initially submitted an offer of A$1.52 billion ($1.55 billion) in May and later increased it...
CHAMP Ventures closes seventh fund at $483m
Australian GP CHAMP Ventures has closed its latest fund at A$475 million ($483 million) despite a challenging fundraising environment. The vehicle, which launched in August 2010, was oversubscribed, having initially targeted A$450 million.
Sprint Capital backs Australian coal miner
Sprint Capital has invested A$36 million ($36.4 million) for a 25% stake in Australian mining company Stanmore Coal. Capital from the Hong Kong-based private equity firm, which specializes in mining and natural resources sector transactions, will go towards...
Herbert Smith, Freehills announce merger
International law firms Herbert Smith and Freehills have announced they will merge to become the largest fully integrated law firm in Asia Pacific.
KKR takes majority stake in Australia's GenesisCare
KKR has picked up a 63% interest in Australia’s GenesisCare, which provides services to patients with cancer and cardiovascular disease. It represents the latest in a string of healthcare sector deals by private equity firms, with TPG Capital and The...
Coller Barometer: Asia Pacific PE growth trend to continue
Global investors will continue to up their exposure to Asia-Pacific private equity over the next three years, according to the latest edition of Coller Capital’s Global Private Equity Barometer.
Billabong poised for takeover as share price tumbles
Australian surfwear retailer Billabong International saw its stock slump 36% when it resumed trading on Monday following a heavily discounted $225 million rights issue. The company is now worth less than one third of the value of TPG Capital’s A$841 million...
Carlyle seeks $1.9b Coates Hire refinancing
The Carlyle Group is in negotiations with banks to refinance the A$1.9 billion ($1.9 billion) in leverage used to purchase Australian equipment hire company Coates Hire.
PE-backed M&A picks up in second quarter
Private equity-backed M&A in Asia Pacific recovered during the second quarter of 2012, as deal value increased 32.9% to $5 billion from last quarter. This comes after consecutive quarterly decline since the start of 2011.
Singtel Innov8, Optus launch Australia start-ups program
SingTel Innov8, the venture capital arm of SingTel, has teamed up with Australian telco Optus to start a seed program to help Australian digital startups grow and expand into Asia.
Illiquidity putting Japan pension plans off PE
The liquidity constraints of negative cash flows are making private equity less attractive for Japanese defined benefit pension plans, according to a new survey.
Asiasons buys Australian pre-school show from CVC's Nine
Southeast Asian private equity firm Asiasons Group has acquired Australian pre-school television show Hi-5 from Nine Network Australia and Southern Star Entertainment. Nine Network is owned by the debt-laden Nine Entertainment Group, which is backed by...
Australian businesses don't trust PE – PwC survey
Only 5% of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia that are currently seeking funding would consider private equity as a source of capital, according to a survey published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Australia's old media: Where did it all go wrong?
Traditional media in Australia has been colonized by buyout houses since 2006, but a number of these assets are now in distress. Can private equity use this situation to its advantage?
OneVentures backs Paloma Mobile with $1.5m
Australia-focused venture capital firm OneVentures has led a $1.5 million Series A round of funding for Paloma Mobile, a developer of smartphone services for emerging markets.
PE firms consider bid for Australian packaging firm – report
The Blackstone Group, KKR and The Carlyle Group are said to be in talks with banks over a bid for Australian packaging company Pact. The deal could value the firm at as much as $1.4 billion.
Qantas appoints Macquarie to defend against PE bids
Qantas Airways has hired Macquarie Group to set up an internal team “to advise on the defense against potential private equity bids,” a company spokesman has confirmed. The news prompted an 11% spike in the airline’s share price to A$1.08 during morning...
Carlyle, Apollo miss out as Brambles cancels $2b asset sale
ASX-listed Brambles has announced that it has canceled it plans to raise cash by selling Recall, its information management business. The 10-month process was called to a halt because of low offers from potential buyers, which included a number of private...
Hawkesbridge backs Colemans
Australian private equity firm Hawkesbridge has acquired a stake in Australian fencing infrastructure firm the Colemans Group.
Blackstone, Morgan Stanley buy Lloyds Australia loans for $621m - report
Blackstone and Morgan Stanley have bought 34% of a A$1.9 billion portfolio of distressed property loans for A$640 million ($621 million), from a unit of Lloyds Banking Group in Australia.
Australia's ASX may join bid for PEP's Link - report
Australia's bourse operator ASX may join the auction for Link Market services, the share registry owned by Pacific Equity Partners (PEP), in a deal that could be worth as much as $1.36 billion. If the transaction goes through, it would be Asia’s biggest...
Australia offers residency for VC investors
The Australian government has announced plans to offer permanent residency to those who invest $5 million in domestic venture capital funds. It is expecting the most interest in the incentive to come from Asia – or more specifically, China.