ESG
Q&A: Mayer Brown's Soumitro Mukerji
Soumitro Mukerji, a partner in the banking and finance practice at Mayer Brown in Singapore, explores potential drivers of increased fund finance activity in Asian private equity
Japanese GPs should target incremental gains on ESG - AVCJ Forum
Japanese private equity firms should be very targeted in implementing environment, social, and governance (ESG) policies at the portfolio company level even if the payoffs are small and accumulate over time, the AVCJ Japan Forum heard.
Deal focus: Anchorage exits rail player, launches Fund IV
Australia-based Anchorage Capital Partners has extended a string of exits with the sale of a local rail industry player, while going to market seeking AUD 500m (USD 339m) for its fourth fund
ICI signals growing climate agenda in Asia PE
Initative Climat International (ICI), a private equity community dedicated to stemming global warming, has launched an Asia Pacific chapter, signalling a growing regional commitment to climate issues.
Data centres: Seeking sustainability
With data driving increasing amounts of business activity, companies are paying more attention to energy sourcing and consumption at the facilities tasked with processing this information
Q&A: Brookfield Asset Management’s Daniel Cheng
Brookfield Asset Management recently raised USD 15bn for a fund dedicated to global energy transition. Daniel Cheng, a managing director with the firm in Shanghai, maps out likely deployment
Ex-EQT partner wins funding for Asia ESG services platform
Tak Wai Chung, who until early last year was a Singapore-based partner at EQT, has secured funding for a pan-Asian platform that will provide software solutions to corporates that need to meet environment, social, and governance (ESG) requirements.
Centurium leads $200m round for China textile tech specialist
Centurium Capital has led a USD 200m investment in NTX, a Shanghai-based textile technology start-up that aims to serve as an eco-friendly supply chain partner to fashion and apparel brands.
PAG buys majority stake in China solvents business
PAG has agreed to pay HKD 2.68bn (USD 340m) for a 51% interest in a solvents business under Hong Kong-listed petrochemical products manufacturer Yip’s Chemical.
ESG in M&A: Eloquent exits
Private equity firms are increasingly presenting portfolio companies’ sustainability credentials in a prepared and formal way in trade sale situations. It appears to be worth the trouble
India blockchain player raises $100m Series A
India’s 5ire, a one-year-old blockchain infrastructure provider focused on promoting sustainable crypto-relate practices, has raised USD 100m in Series A funding at a valuation of USD 1.5bn.
Japan's MPower backs construction workers' platform
Japanese environmental, social, and governance (ESG) focused private equity firm MPower has led a JPY 1.8bn (USD 13.4m) investment in Sukedachi, a jobs platform for construction workers.
Blackstone backs Australia, US clean commodities platform
The Blackstone Group has led a USD 400m investment in Xpansiv, an Australia and US-based marketplace for trading clean commodities such as carbon offsets, renewable energy credits (RECs), and low-carbon fuels.
LPs warm up to crypto strategies – survey
Two in five LPs regard crypto-enabling businesses as a legitimate investment target, according to Coller Capital’s latest private equity barometer survey, underlining the sector’s emergence as a mainstream target for PE and VC.
Temasek launches decarbonisation investment platform
Singapore’s Temasek Holdings has committed an initial SGD 5bn to a newly launched platform designed to make investments that accelerate decarbonisation globally.
Australian crop monitoring start-up gets $38m Series B
Regrow, an Australian-based sustainable agriculture start-up, has raised USD 38m in Series B funding led by Galvanize Climate Solutions, Rethink Impact, and Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff’s Time Ventures.
Q&A: Sweef Capital’s Jennifer Buckley
Jennifer Buckley spun out the Southeast Asian gender-lens investment unit of impact private equity firm SEAF last year, forming Sweef Capital. Adding to the complexity, it happened mid-fundraise
IFC looks to back Circulate Capital's second fund
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has proposed a USD 10m commitment to Singapore-based Circulate Capital’s second fund dedicated to reducing plastics pollution.
Portfolio: Affinity Equity Partners and ServeOne
Affinity Equity Partners is redefining the B2B outsourcing industry by helping Korea’s ServeOne, escape the gravity of its chaebol parent to access new markets and business lines
Japan's MPower backs pet devices maker
Japan’s MPower Partners, which was set up last year to make environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments, has joined a USD 10.5m Series B round for local pet devices maker Rabo.
Aavishkaar hits $130m first close on latest India impact fund
Aavishkaar Capital has reached a first close of INR 10bn (USD 130m) on its latest India impact fund. It is reportedly targeting a final close of USD 200m.
Asia PE firms must get smart, integrated on due diligence - Bain & Co
GPs must take a more comprehensive and integrated approach to due diligence in Asia if they are to find ways of driving operational improvement in companies and justify lofty entry valuations amid mounting economic uncertainty, according to Bain & Company.