Industry best practice
Fund-level due diligence: More than ticking boxes
Corrupt deals, agreements with the dishonest and lackluster returns can all be avoided by doing sufficient due diligence on a GP. But advisers say LPs in Asia sill aren’t doing enough
Carlyle backs China Forestry despite damning report
The Carlyle Group believes troubled portfolio company China Forestry Holdings still holds value despite the firm admitting last week that it was only able to account for 1% of its historical sales. Hong Kong-listed China Forestry has been suspended from...
Sino-Forest’s major shareholder proposes restructuring plan
The largest shareholder in Sino-Forest has proposed a restructuring plan for the Chinese forestry company following last week’s board announcement that a Canadian court had granted protection from creditors as it looked into sale options.
SEC files lawsuit against executives of Chinese coal company
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against two Chinese executives from Puda Coal, accusing them of shifting its main asset to a third-party company and then selling a stake to CITIC Trust. Ming Zhao and Liping Zhu, chairman...
Operating partners: The social network
Operating partners now form the backbone of most private equity firms, in a variety of different guises. Samena Capital’s take on this concept recognizes the importance of relationships in Asia
FBI searches offices of firm linked to Chinese reverse takeovers
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has conducted a search of the offices of New York Global Group, a private equity investment and corporate advisory firm. New York Global, led by Benjamin Wey, helped Chinese companies go public in the US through reverse...
US increases disclosure requirements for foreign listings
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has introduced rules that compel foreign companies seeking US listings to file their registration documents publicly. Previously, IPO documentation remained confidential until the issuers were ready to launch...
Private equity and Asia’s new rich
On two occasions last week, fund managers told me they were looking to attract capital, but not from the standard institutional LP. Is this a coincidence or the start of a new trend? It’s not yet clear. But one contributing factor of which we can be...
KPMG resigns as China Forestry auditor
KPMG has resigned as auditor of China Forestry Holdings, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group and Partners Group, which became embroiled in an accounting scandal early last year. The accounting firm will not stand for reappointment.
Sino-Forest bondholders may face 100% write-down
Sino-Forest bondholders could face a near-100% write-down on their investment as the company received a default notice on two of its bonds after failing to file third-quarter results on time.
Sino-Forest runs low on cash, bonds suggest default
Sino-Forest, the private equity-backed forestry firm that last week issued a report denying short-seller claims that it is engaged in a massive fraud, is still in danger as its bonds trade at prices that imply an extremely high risk of default. The negative...
China forestry assets: A due diligence nightmare
Opaque regulation and uncertainty about ownership in China’s forestry industry represent a challenge to strong investor oversight.
China due diligence: Suspicious minds?
The quality of private equity firms’ China due diligence has been called into question over the last 12 months - growth capital players may have too little time and too much money.