China
Primavera supports $1.9b Shanda Games take-private
Primavera Capital is supporting a buyout of NASDAQ-listed Chinese online game developer and operator Shanda Games that values the company at $1.9 billion. The PE firm is backing controlling shareholder Shanda Interactive Entertainment in the deal.
TAL Education invests $25m in VC-backed Babytree
TAL Education, a China-based after-school tutoring services provider, has acquired a minority stake in childcare website Babytree for RMB150 million ($25 million). The online baby nursing information provider secured previous investments from Matrix Partners,...
Suning acquires VC-backed group buying site Manzuo
Suning Commerce, a Chinese home appliance retailer, has acquired group buying site Manzuo.com. Transaction terms were not disclosed but the investment was said to facilitate a full exit for VC backer KPCB China.
CDH to close China fund at $2.55b
CDH Investments will reach a final close on its fifth US dollar-denominated China fund at the end of next week, having raised the hard cap to $2.55 billion in order to accommodate investor demand.
Hong Kong-listed A8 commits to tech-focused Qingsong Fund
A8 Digital Music Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed media corporation, has committed RMB20 million ($3 million) to acquire an approximately 6% interest in Qingsong Fund II.
Legend re-ups in US sports tech manufacturer Zepp
Legend Capital has re-upped in athlete training technology developer Zepp Labs, participating in a $15 million Series B round of funding led by GGV Capital. Bertelsmann and Cherubic Ventures also committed capital.
CICC, Qianhai Financial Holdings launch $3.3b PE fund
China International Capital Corporation (CICC) has teamed up with Qianhai Financial Holdings, a wholly-owned unit of the Administrative Bureau of Qianhai, to launch a private equity fund, targeting RMB20 billion ($3.3 billion).
China’s Alibaba Group makes $15 million investment in 1stdibs
Alibaba Group has backed New York-based luxury e-commerce site 1stdibs with a $15 million Series C investment.
State Street opens Shanghai office
State Street has opened an office in Shanghai to provide fund administration, accounting and related services to private equity, real estate and hedge fund clients with business development initiatives in China.
PE firms to bid for China Huarong stake – report
A group of around 20 investors are said to be preparing to submit first-round offers for a minority stake worth $2 billion in China Huarong Asset Management ahead of the non-performing loan (NPL) manager’s IPO.
US judge imposes suspension on Big Four accounting firms' China units
A US judge has ruled that the China-based units of the Big Four global accounting firms should be suspended from auditing US-listed companies for the next six months. They are accused of failing to disclose information to US regulators investigating Chinese...
Yunfeng Capital, Alibaba to buy CITIC 21CN for $171m
Yunfeng Capital and Alibaba Group together plan to buy a 54.3% stake in pharmaceutical data provider CITIC 21CN, a Hong Kong-listed subsidiary of Chinese conglomerate CITIC Group, for HK$1.33 billion ($171 million).
Fosun, Prudential to launch China real estate venture
Chinese financial conglomerate Fosun Group and Prudential Financial plan to launch a real estate joint venture aimed at investing in mixed-use development projects in urban centers in China.
Li Keping to replace Gao Xiqing as CIC president – report
China Investment Corp.(CIC) has reportedly appointed executive vice president Li Keping to succeed Gao Xiqing as vice chairman and president.
CITIC Capital finally bags AsiaInfo take-private
Private equity firms have supported 11 management buyouts of Chinese firms listed in the US since mid-2011. Until last week, only two of these successful transactions - Funtalk China and Focus Media - were control buyouts, where one or more PE backers...
China IPOs: Incremental benefits
China’s securities regulator has introduced a registration-based IPO system designed to offer greater transparency. However, this does not mean an end to intervention in public markets processes.
Bitcoin: VC firms eye Asia opportunities
Bitcoin’s emergence as a currency in Asia has attracted mixed reactions from regulators. For VC investors there is a chance to disrupt the exisitng payment hierarchy, but they must also work with it
Cogent promotes Jeffery Reece to director in Shanghai
Cogent Partners, a secondary market-focused investment bank, has promoted Jeffrey Reece to director in Shanghai.
Saif invests $30m in China fashion platform
Saif Partners China has committed $30 million in a Series C round of funding for Yoho, an online fashion magazine and e-commerce platform.
China's WestSummit raises $325m across two tech funds
Beijing-based growth capital firm WestSummit Capital has raised $325 million across two funds, comprising $225 million for West Summit’s Fund II and $100 million for its China Ireland Technology Growth Capital Fund.
Carlyle completes partial exit from HK-listed Haier Electronics
The Carlyle Group has raised around $285 million after selling part of its stake in Hong Kong-listed appliance maker Haier Electronics Group.
China game developer Linekong secures $80m Series C round
China online gaming developer Linekong has raised $80 million Series C round of funding led by Fosun International. Other investors include Orchid Asia, Starwish Global, SAIF Partners and Profitable Century International.
Hao Capital makes $80m partial exit from Pax Technology
Hao Capital has made another partial exit from electronic payment systems provider Pax Technology, selling a 15.1% equity stake for around $80 million through a block trade. The private equity firm has now realized $100 million on an original investment...
MSPEA-backed Feihe International buys Alf Beta Dairy
Feihe International, a Chinese infant formula and milk power producer backed by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA), has acquired industry peer Jilin Alf Beta Dairy.