SME
Deal focus: Bazaar, Zayn encapsulate Pakistan’s breakout moment
Bazaar, a B2B logistics and financial services start-up, is putting Pakistan on the map for brand-name global VC investors for the first time. One of its key local backers, Zayn Capital, is doing the same
Brookfield buys Australia non-bank lender for $1.1b
Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to acquire Australian non-bank lender and asset manager La Trobe Financial for about USD 1.1bn, facilitating an exit for The Blackstone Group.
Deal focus: Indonesia’s fintech plumber
Brick is developing backend digital infrastructure so that financial technology start-ups in Southeast Asia can provide seamless services. Priorities include deepening functionality and geographic expansion
India BNPL start-up Mintifi raises $40m Series C
Norwest Venture Partners and Elevation Capital have led a USD 40m Series C round for Indian B2B buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform Mintifi.
Potentia joins round for Australia construction tender platform
Australia’s Potentia Capital has joined a AUD 35m (USD 25m) round for local construction tender and procurement platform EstimateOne.
KKR commits $45m to Philippines B2B e-commerce player
KKR has invested USD 45m in GrowSari, a Philippines-based company that helps micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) take their retail operations online.
WestBridge leads $29m Series B for India's Vyapar
WestBridge Capital has led an approximately USD 29m Series B round for Indian small business financial technology provider Vyapar. The company is now valued at around USD 118m.
Indonesia e-commerce SaaS player gets $80m Series C
Lummo, an Indonesian e-commerce software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider for small businesses, has raised USD 80m in Series C funding led by Tiger Global Management and Sequoia Capital India.
MDI leads $108m round for Indonesia's KoinWorks
MDI Ventures, the VC arm of Telkom Indonesia, has led a USD 108m Series C round for Indonesia P2P lending platform KoinWorks.
India's OfBusiness achieves $5b valuation with Series G
OfBusiness, an India-based B2B platform focused on industrial supply chain and procurement services, has raised $325 million in Series G funding at a valuation of $5 billion.
India digital banking player Open raises $100m
Temasek Holdings has led a $100 million Series C round for Indian online banking company Open Financial Technologies with support from Google.
Norwest, Kedaara lead $59m round for India NBFC
Norwest Venture Partners and Kedaara Capital have led a INR4.4 billion ($58.6 million) Series F round for Indian non-banking finance company (NBFC) Veritas Finance.
Singapore's Incomlend gets $60m for SME ESG financing program
Singapore’s Incomlend, a financial technology provider for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has raised $60 million for an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) financing program.
India's Meesho sees valuation double in five months
Indian social e-commerce start-up Meesho has raised a $570 million Series F round, doubling its valuation in less than five months to $4.9 billion.
Thailand’s Ascend Money raises $150m
Bangkok-based Ascend Money has raised $150 million from a group of investors including Ant Group, at a valuation of $1.5 billion. It claims to be Thailand’s first financial technology unicorn.
Australia PE: Brave new world
As Australia contemplates opening its tightly controlled borders and finding a way to live with COVID-19, private equity probes an opportunity set in transition yet surprisingly stable
Indonesia payments player Xendit raises $150m Series C
Indonesian digital payments infrastructure provider Xendit has raised a $150 million Series C round led by Tiger Global Management at a valuation of around $1 billion.
Deal focus: ShopUp champions the iron triangle
As a first mover in Bangladesh’s B2B e-commerce space, ShopUp moved quickly into services, logistics, and finance. This inadvertent super app now has $75 million in Series B funding to show for its efforts
Bangladesh’s ShopUp raises $75m Series B
Valar Ventures, a firm set up by PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel, has led a $75 million Series B round for Bangladeshi B2B platform ShopUp.
KKR leads Series B for Vietnam MSME digitalization platform
KKR has led a $45 million Series B funding round for KiotViet, a sales management software developer that serves Vietnam’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) community.
Tiger Global leads $125m Series D for India's Infra.market
Tiger Global Management has led a $125 million Series D round for Indian construction marketplace Infra.market at a valuation of $2.5 billion. The same investor led a $100 million Series C in February at a valuation of $1 billion.
Ofbusiness becomes India's 18th unicorn of 2021
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led $160 million Series E funding round for OfBusiness, an India-based B2B platform focused on industrial supply chain and procurement services, at a valuation of $1.5 billion.
US VCs lead $60m round for Indonesia's BukuWarung
US-based Goodwater Capital and Valar Ventures, a firm co-founded by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, have led a $60 million round for Indonesian financial technology start-up BukuWarung.
Pakistan’s Habib Bank backs digital SME lender
Habib Bank, the largest bank in Pakistan, has joined a $10.1 million Series A round for Finja, a leading local financial technology start-up and small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) lender.