China
China bike-sharing app Ofo raises $130m Series C
Ofo, a Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) bike-sharing platform, has raised a $130 million Series C round of funding across two tranches.
China’s CSC Group backs UK AI incubator
Chinese private equity firm CSC Group has invested in Founders Factory, a London-based accelerator and incubator, with a view to getting exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) technology start-ups.
Singapore’s New Silkroutes launches private equity JV
Singapore-listed energy trading company New Silkroutes Group (NSG) has formed a joint venture with three parties to develop private equity funds targeting healthcare and infrastructure in emerging and developed Asia.
Temasek, 3i to exit ACR Capital to Chinese consortium
An investment vehicle controlled by China's Shenzhen Qianhai Financial Holdings (QFH) and Shenzhen Investment Holdings (SIHC) has agreed to buy Singapore-based reinsurer ACR Capital Holdings from its backers, which include Temasek Holdings, Khazanah Nasional...
Chinese consortium to invest in Australia’s Buderim Group
Sino-Australian PE firm Wattle Hill RHC Funds has partnered with Chinese snack producer QiaQia Food to acquire a stake in Buderim Group, Australia’s largest ginger producer, for approximately A$26.1 million ($20 million).
SBCVC-backed data center business files for US IPO
China-based data center provider GDS Holdings, in which SBCVC and Ping An Insurance are minority shareholders, has filed for a NASDAQ IPO.
Deal advisory: Helping hands
Chinese M&A buyers must overcome their reluctance to engage top-quality advisory teams for their transactions
China tech M&A: Friends or rivals?
Consolidation is becoming a dominant theme in China’s internet industry as ever more sophisticated companies use M&A as a means of remaining dominant in their core areas and exploring new ones
Q&A: Interchina Consulting's Barry Chen
Barry Chen, managing director at InterChina Consulting, discusses where investors get it right and wrong on M&A, whether they are foreign companies doing deals in China or Chinese players going overseas
China regulation: Low-gear revolution
A nationwide extension of the relaxed foreign investment policies available in China's free trade zones should simplify a cumbersome deal-making environment. Wider sector openings, however, remain on hold
China sports M&A: They shoot, they score?
China wants to develop its sports industry, with football a priority, prompting numerous investors to look for overseas assets in the name of government policy. Their rationale is often divorced from reality
Outbound M&A finance: The safer bets
China’s outbound M&A market has taken off in recent years, but many are skeptical that purchasing companies will be able to handle the financial and operational burdens they have taken on
PE-backed ZTO Express files for US IPO
China-based logistics operator ZTO Express has filed for an IPO in the US. Sequoia Capital and Warburg Pincus are the most significant private equity backers with stakes of 7.2% and 6.1%, respectively.
SBCVC invests in listed visual effects business Digital Domain - update
SBCVC and the Hong Kong-listed unit of Chinese conglomerate CITIC Group have agreed to invest as much as HK$368 million ($47 million) investment in Digital Domain, which has interests in media and entertainment.
China’s Zoomlion launches $481m industry investment fund
Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology, a China-based construction machinery maker, has launched an industry PE fund with an overall target of RMB3.21 billion ($481 million).
Denmark's NKT sells China cables business to local GP
CAC Capital Management, a China-based private equity firm, has agreed to buy the local power cables business of Denmark-headquartered industrial conglomerate NKT for an enterprise value of EUR14.3 million ($16 million).
Deal focus: H&Q backs flexible EV player
Efficient Drivetrains produces powertrain systems suitable for electric vehicles and hybrids, leveraging automakers desire to meet emissions requirements without building costly in-house operations. H&A Asia Pacific is financing a wider geographic roll-out
Huasheng leads round for China education site Zmlearn
Huasheng Capital, a private equity firm established by financial advisor China Renaissance, has led a Series C round of funding for Zmlearn.com, a Chinese K-12 online learning and teaching platform.
CDH to make partial exit through Baroque Japan IPO
Baroque Japan, an apparel business majority-owned by CDH Investments and Chinese women’s shoe retailer Belle International, is seeking to raise around JPY30.86 billion ($307 million) through a Tokyo IPO.
China O2O retail: It’s good to touch
The rise of e-commerce in China has placed traditional retailers under pressure, but private equity investors are still finding opportunities with concepts that integrate online and offline
Fund focus: FountainVest scales up for Fund III
With $2.1 billion to deploy from its third fund, FountainVest Partners is ready to write bigger checks and target more control deals as the China buyout opportunity - gradually - comes to fruition
Sino-US bio-pharma firm raises $55m Series C
MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, a Sino-US bio-pharmaceutical company, has raised a $55 million Series C round of funding led by Shanghai-based GP Healthcare Capital.
Meituan-Dianping acquires VC-backed Chinese payment player
Meituan-Dianping, the China-based online-to-offline (O2O) services platform created through the merger of two rival groups, has agreed to acquire Qiandaibao, a VC-backed point-of-sales (POS) mobile payment start-up.
China launches $52.5b SOE restructuring fund
China has launched a RMB350 billion ($52.5 billion) private equity fund to restructure state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as part of efforts to improve operational efficiency and encourage industry consolidation.