China
China C2C used car platform Guazi raises $400m
Guazi, an online consumer-to-consumer (C2C) used car trading platform that spun out from US-listed Chinese classifieds site 58.com, has completed a $400 million Series B round led by existing investor Sequoia Capital China.
PE-backed WuXi Biologics completes Hong Kong re-listing
WuXi Biologics, a Chinese contract R&D services provider to the global pharmaceutical industry that was taken private by a PE-backed consortium in late 2015, gained 38% on its Hong Kong trading debut following a HK$3.97 billion ($510 million) IPO.
VCs in $15m round for China software start-up PingCap
PingCap, a Beijing-based start-up that provides database solutions for enterprise customers, has secured a $15 million Series B round led by China Growth Capital.
China’s NSSF sees returns plunge in 2016
China’s National Council for Social Security Fund (NSSF), the largest pension fund in the country, saw its investment return decline to 1.73% in 2016 from 15.19% the previous year, largely due to losses on fixed income products.
Tencent-backed Futu Securities raises $146m
Tencent Holdings has re-upped in Futu Securities International, leading a $145.5 million Series C round for the Hong Kong-registered cross-border stock trading platform.
China’s QingCloud raises $160m, prepares for onshore IPO
China-based cloud computing platform QingCloud, which is backed by several VC investors, has raised a new round of renminbi-denominated funding worth RMB1.08 billion ($160 million).
Qiming’s US healthcare fund backs Harvard spin-out
Qiming US Healthcare Fund, a sector specialist vehicle launched by China’s Qiming Venture Partners, has led a $10 million Series A round for Platelet BioGenesis, a Harvard University spin-out that builds human platelets from stem cells.
ShoreVest targets $750m for China distress fund
ShoreVest Capital Partners, a China-focused distress and special situations investor created by former executives from Shoreline Capital, is looking to raise $750 million for its debut fund.
Chinese agricultural drone platform secures Series A round
Farm Friend, a Beijing-based agricultural drone services platform, has raised a RMB50 million ($7 million) Series A round led by Gobi Partners.
GPs back $605m take-private of China's SciClone pharmaceuticals
CDH Investments and Ascendent Capital Partners have teamed up with GL Capital and a Bank of China investment unit in a $605 million bid for US-listed Chinese drug developer SciClone Pharmaceuticals.
GPs sell French crystal maker to Chinese investment group
Chinese investment group Fortune Fountain Capital has agreed to buy a controlling stake in French luxury crystal maker Baccarat from Starwood Capital and L Catterton Partners, in a deal worth EUR164 million ($184 million).
China cloud computing business Huayun Data raises $220m
Wuxi Huayun Data Technology Service, a Chinese cloud computing infrastructure provider, has raised RMB1.5 billion ($220 million) in a pre-IPO round from a group of domestic investors.
Legend raises $448m for seventh China VC fund
Legend Capital has closed its seventh China-focused venture capital fund at $448 million. The vehicle is smaller than the firm’s previous vehicle – which raised $500 million in about five months – and spent longer in the market.
Legend leads $18m round for Chinese beauty clinic chain
Legend Capital has led a $18 million funding round for PhiSkin, a China-based chain of beauty clinics backed by H&Q Asia Pacific.
Chinese courier start-up gets $50m Series C-plus
Chinese intercity courier services provider Shansong has secured an extended Series C round of funding led by Shunwei Capital Partners and Chinese retailer Beijing Hualian Group.
Sequoia discloses China, India fundraising activity
Sequoia Capital has topped up its fourth India fund – having closed the fifth country vehicle early last year – and disclosed that its most recent China growth vehicle closed at $899.5 million.
China regulator relaxes exit rules for PE, VC firms
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has eased rules for private equity and venture capital firms by reducing their post-IPO lock-up period in an A-share listed companies from three years to one year.
Fund focus: Lyfe attracts a diversified following for Fund II
Having been supported by fund-of-funds when raising its first China healthcare vehicle, Lyfe Capital has added pension funds, endowments and family offices to its $420 million second fund
China P2P site Tuandaiwang raises $262m
Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform Tuandaiwang confirmed it has raised a RMB1.8 million ($262 million) pre-IPO round led by China Minsheng Investment Group (CMIG).
Chinese GPs set up semiconductor JV with Qualcomm
The two Chinese private equity firms that bought NXP Semiconductors’ standard products business in February have teamed up with Qualcomm – which subsequently bid for NXP outright – to manufacture chipsets for mass-market smart phones sold in China.
Everbright-IDG joins Series C for Chinese electric car maker
Everbright-IDG Industrial Fund has invested an undisclosed sum in China-based smart electric car maker Nio - formerly known as NextEV - as part of a Series C round that is still in the process of being raised.
Deal focus: Quadrant cashes in on Icon’s growth potential
Quadrant Private Equity agrees a $746 million exit from Icon Group, with new owners QIC, Goldman Sachs and Pagoda Investment keen to continue the cancer specialist's expansion in Asia
OrbiMed leads $19m round for Sino-US drug developer
OrbiMed Asia Partners has led a $19 million Series B round of funding for InventisBio, a pharmaceutical developer based in Shanghai with operations in China and the US.
Deal focus: Chubao targets mass market appeal
Having built its business by licensing mobile software to smart phone manufacturers, China's Chubao has raised $100 million to bankroll a freemium model that will allow it to interact directly with users