LPs
Los Angeles pension fund invests $25m in Hony V
Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System (LACERS) committed up to $25 million to Hony Capital Fund V, which closed in January at $2.4 billion, $1 billion larger than its predecessor.
Family offices eye larger private equity allocations
Family offices are looking to invest more in private equity over the next 12 months at the expense of their cash allocations. A survey of 32 family offices conducted by London-based private market advisory firm Somerset Capital found that 63% plan on...
Indian VC's social imperative
Social venture capital funds have sprung up in India under the notion that they can support marginalized communities and achieve financial returns. Time will tell if this is possible.
US pension funds move to raise alternatives exposure
Two US pension funds, Georgia Employees’ Retirement System (GERS) and Ohio State Teachers’ Retirement System (OSTRS) have made moves to boost their exposure to alternative investments.
CPPIB names Mark Wiseman as new CEO
Mark Wiseman will become the next CEO of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) when current head David Denison retires at the end of June.
Australian fundraisers feel the strain
Are changes in superannuation laws the cause or the scapegoat? Either way, Australia’s fundraising landscape is undergoing substantial change. Local GPs must choose between going offshore or going out of business
Western Australia moves forward on sovereign fund plans
The Western Australia government appears to have accelerated plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to accrue a portion of the profits being generated by the region’s natural resources. Premier Colin Barnett mooted the prospect of a future fund that...
Korea's LP problem
Both the GP and LP bases in South Korea are relatively narrow. Once fund managers have more to show for themselves in terms of track records, it will be easier to distinguish wheat from chaff
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
Asia, Middle East LPs put up 30% of BC Partners' buyout fund
Asian and Middle East investors contributed 30% of the capital for BC Partners’ latest European fund, which has closed at EUR6.5 billion ($8.6 billion) after 18 months in the market. LPs from these regions only accounted for 10% of the private equity...
CPPIB hires Goldman's Mark Machin as Asia president
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has appointed former Goldman Sachs executive Mark Machin as Asia president. He will be based in Hong Kong and take responsibility for the pension fund’s investment strategy and programs throughout Asia Pacific....
CPPIB in $1.8m mall deal with Australia's Westfield
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has bought a 45% stake in a portfolio of 12 US malls from Australian shopping mall owner Westfield Group for around $1.85 billion. It is CPPIB’s biggest real estate investment to date.
CalPERS criticizes PE industry on tax breaks
Joe Dear, CIO of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), waded into debate on how private equity is taxed in the US, saying that buyout firm executives “risk becoming the robber barons of the 21st century” if they don’t back down....
Foreign RMB funds suffer from LP access troubles
With state-backed firms hesitant to commit and wealthy individuals unreliable, overseas private equity firms face a long slog to raise their renminbi funds
VSG to facilitate LP direct investment in India
VSG Capital Advisors, a new investment bank, has been established in India to advise on domestic and cross-border deals. The move comes at a time when pension funds and sovereign wealth funds are tipped to raise their direct investment allocations to...
Political risk tempers LP appetite for Southeast Asia
Insurgent groups and corrupt governments are every investor’s worst nightmare. For those private equity firms operating in the Philippines and Indonesia, they’re also a reality.
Hony's bumper raise sparks concerns about China fund sizes
How much is too much? Hony Capital set the benchmark for the string of large China-focused funds expected to launch in the next year or so as it closed its fifth vehicle at $2.4 billion. Hony Capital Fund V took barely four months to complete its fundraising,...
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 certain...
NSSF considers investments in foreign PE funds
China’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF) is looking for investment opportunities in foreign private equity firms as part of efforts to boost returns and broaden its exposure to overseas markets.
Q&A: Hamilton Lane's Mario Giannini
Mario Giannini, CEO of Hamilton Lane, discusses the fundraising climate globally and the impact of massive capital inflows on Asia.
Don't lose your head in a hot market
As we head into 2012, will investors’ appetite for Asian private equity be checked? Apparently not.
Fund concessions: A tailored fit
The fees debate might not have arrived in Asia, but a string of other LP demands has. Fund managers must manage their investors as carefully as their investments
IIF program to invest $102m in Australian venture
The Australian government has announced plans to provide venture capital funds with up to A$100 million ($102 million) of capital via its Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) program.
Actis gets $250m from Washington State Investment Board
Washington State Investment Board has committed $250 million to Actis’ latest emerging markets vehicle as part of a more than $550 million allocation to global private equity managers made earlier this month. The other beneficiary was Apax Partners’ eighth...