Southeast Asia
CVC-owned SPi to sell US healthcare business for $235m
SPi Global, a Philippines-based business process outsourcing (BPO) provider owned by CVC Capital Partners, has agreed to sell its US healthcare business to Conifer Health Solutions in a deal worth $235 million.
Singapore supports med-tech accelerator program
Spring Seeds Capital, an investment arm of government-backed Spring Singapore, has launched an initiative that could channel up to S$60 million ($47 million) into local medical technology start-ups.
VC-backed iMoney gets funding from Australia's iSelect
IMoney Group, a Malaysia-based financial comparison start-up backed by Jungle Ventures, has received approximately MYR13 million ($4 million) from iSelect, an Australia Securities Exchange-listed online comparison service.
Standard Chartered PE backs garlic-themed restaurant in Korea
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has led a $48 million joint investment in Mad for Garlic, a Korea-based Italian restaurant chain that has expanded into Southeast Asia.
Sinarmas supports Ardent Capital's Southeast Asia expansion
Southeast Asia-focused e-commerce investor Ardent Capital has received $12.5 million in funding led by Indonesian conglomerate Sinarmas. Existing backers also participated.
KKR to up stake in Indonesia's Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food
KKR will acquire a further 10% of Indonesian rice and noodle producer Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food (TPSF) for IDR658 billion ($55 million). The PE firm first invested in TPSF last year, representing its first deal in Indonesia.
Q&A: United Overseas Bank's Wee Yap Yeo
United Overseas Bank (UOB) has teamed up with Orix Corp. to launch a $200 million Southeast Asia mezzanine fund. Wee Yap Yeo, head of mezzanine capital at UOB, explains the strategy
Mekong delivers golden return
As office workers clock off in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vuvuzela outlets begin to fill up. It was supposed to be a Hooters-style casual dining chain – and the female staff dress accordingly – but Vuvuzela has morphed into a very local beer club....
Cross-border e-commerce: The final frontier
Rocket Internet and Alibaba Group are preparing to go public and have ambitious growth plans. But how suited are their respective models to cross-border e-commerce expansion?
KKR completes privatization of Singapore's Goodpack
KKR has completed the S$1.4 billion ($1.1 billion) acquisition of intermediate bulk container (IBC) manufacturer Goodpack. The company delisted from the Singapore Exchange on September 15.
SCPE backs Vietnam's Golden Gate, Mekong secures 9x exit
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has acquired a significant minority stake in Golden Gate, a Vietnam-based restaurant operator, for $35 million. The investment has allowed existing backer Mekong Capital to make a full exit with a net multiple...
LeapFrog reaches $400m close on second microfinance fund
LeapFrog Investments - the specialist microfinance investor backed by George Soros and JP Morgan Chase - has reached a $400 million close on its second fund targeting financial services investments in emerging Asia and Africa.
Rocket, Kinnevik to form emerging market fashion e-commerce giant
German start-up incubator Rocket Internet and Investment AB Kinnevik, Rocket's biggest backer, are to consolidate five emerging market fashion e-commerce brands into a single global company with a combined valuation of EUR2.7 billion ($3.5 billion).
KKR appoints Indonesia head
KKR has appointed Jaka Prasetya, former managing partner and founder of Leafgreen Capital Partners, as managing director with responsibility for Indonesia. He will also work on the firm’s credit and special situations initiatives in Southeast Asia.
Ekuinas buys majority stake in Malaysian tanker company
Ekuinas, the Malaysian government-backed private equity investor, has agreed to acquire up to 95.5% of Orkim, one of the country’s largest clean petroleum product (CPP) tanker companies, for MYR346.3 million ($109 million).
Q&A: Blackstone's Angelo Acconcia
The Blackstone Group has entered Southeast Asia's oil and gas space with an $800 million commitment to Tamarind Energy. Angelo Acconcia, managing director at Blackstone Energy Partners, explains the rationale
PLDT sees Rocket as proxy for global growth
Smart eMoney, a mobile payment business owned by Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT), first ventured overseas in partnership with Mastercard in 2010.
Rocket Internet’s Foodpanda raises $60m
Foodpanda, an online take-away food delivery marketplace incubated by Rocket Internet, has raised $60 million in a new round of financing from new investor Falcon Edge Capital as well as existing backers.
Khazanah to privatize trouble-hit Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines (MAS), the beleaguered national carrier that has tragically lost two planes in the space of four months, will be privatized and restructured by its largest shareholder, Khazanah Nasional in a deal worth MYR1.38 billion ($432 million).
Northgate's Koh joins Singapore university endowment
Lye Thiam Koh has departed fund-of-funds Northgate Capital and taken up a new role as portfolio manager with the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) investment office.
ADB, Orix, Robeco form $400m Asia climate-change fund
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan's ORIX Corp. and Netherland-based Robeco Institutional Asset Management have together formed a private equity fund that will focus on investments in climate-friendly industries such as cleantech and renewable energy.
Blackstone to invest up to $800m in Tamarind Energy
Blackstone has made a commitment to invest up to $800 million in Malaysia-based oil and gas exploration and production start-up, Tamarind Energy, alongside management. The investment is being made via the GP's energy investment unit, Blackstone Energy...
Profile: Anthem Asia's Josephine Price
After more than a decade at CLSA Capital Partners, Josephine Price left to pursue an interest in sustainable investment. It led her to Myanmar, the region’s last frontier market, and Anthem Asia
Thriller in Manila: PE investors target the Philippines
The Philippines is the fifth-largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and has the second-largest population. GDP growth is among the fastest in Asia. But in terms of inbound and outbound commerce the country trails its comparable...