Thailand
Inspire Ventures leads $10m round for Thailand's aCommerce
Inspire Ventures has led a $10.7 million Series A round of funding for aCommerce, a Thailand-based e-commerce services provider.
Abraaj invests in Thai education provider
The Abraaj Group has acquired an undisclosed stake in KPN Academy, an out-of-school education service provider in Thailand.
Kerogen makes Asia oil and gas play, eyes Fund II
Kerogen Capital has invested A$30 million ($27 million) in Twinza Oil, which has oil and gas interests in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Thailand. The energy-focused GP is also said to be preparing to launch its next fund later in the year.
L Capital buys majority stake in luxury restaurant operator
L Capital Asia, the private equity firm backed by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, has bought a 51% stake in Ku Dé Ta Group, a restaurant and club operator with interests in Singapore and Thailand.
SoftBank Venture backs Thai video game firm Ini3 Digital
SoftBank Ventures Korea (SBVK), the corporate investment arm of the Japanese telecoms giant, has taken a 23% stake in Thai online video game operator Ini3 Digital. The financial terms were not dislosed.
Longreach agrees Christmas carve-out
Christmas was delayed at the Longreach Group as the North Asia-focused private equity firm finalized an agreement to buy Japanese molded plastics manufacturer Sol-Plus Group on December 25, bringing to an end several weeks of negotiations.
SE Asia online retailer Lazada gets $250m in funding from Tesco, others
Rocket Internet’s Southeast Asian online shopping mall, Lazada, has raised a $250 million round of funding from Tesco, Access Industries, and return backers Investment AB Kinnevik and Verlinvest.
CapAsia exits Thai toll road
The floods that devastated Thailand in the second half of 2011 were the country’s worst in 50 years, with the World Bank putting the economic damages at $45.7 billion. Bangkok came under threat in mid-October with outer areas most severely hit. The...
CapAsia JV sells stake in Thai toll road operator
CapAsia and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ have sold their minority stake in Thailand’s Don Muang Tollway (DMT) for $132 million to a newly announced joint venture between Hong Kong-based First Pacific and Philippines infrastructure developer Metro Pacific...
Armstrong commits $30m to Thai solar, biogas projects
Southeast Asian cleantech investor Armstrong Asset Management has committed $30 million to solar and biogas projects being developed by Thailand’s Annex Power. The capital will be used to expand the company’s engineering, procurement and construction...
Japan's Meiji Yasuda beats PE to Thai Life stake
Japan’s Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance has agreed to buy a 15% stake in Thai Life Insurance for an undisclosed sum, thought to be in the region of $750 million. Other participants in the auction reportedly included the Carlyle Group, KKR and CVC Capital...
ASEAN integration brings opportunities, challenges - AVCJ Forum
ASEAN integration is a game changer for companies from China and India as well as for those in Southeast Asia, but a lack of familiarity with private equity in more peripheral markets remains an obstacle, fund managers told the AVCJ Singapore forum.
Ex Indonesia: Investing at SE Asia's edges
Indonesia is the poster child of Southeast Asian private equity but competition is intense and valuations are rising. What can investors expect from less-tapped markets such as Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam?
Silicon Valley angels end first SE Asia tour in Indonesia
The Geeks on a Plane (GOAP) tour organized by Silicon Valley-based accelerator 500 Startups reaches its final leg in Indonesia this week. This is the first time one of the trips has focused specifically on Southeast Asia.
PE firms struggle with rich valuations in Southeast Asia – survey
Increased competition for deals and buoyant equity markets have pushed up valuations in Southeast Asia, prompting private equity investors to hold back, according to a new survey. While the region is becoming more important in investment strategies, returns...
SE Asia VC Ardent gets backing from US, Japan partners
Southeast Asia-focused venture capital firm Ardent has received its first round of external funding from US-based Siemer Ventures and Japanese VCs Recruit Strategic Partners and GMO Venture Partners. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Armstrong cleantech fund makes debut investment in Thailand
Armstrong Asset Management has agreed to invest in a Thai solar energy project, marking the first deal from its Southeast Asia cleantech fund, which is expected to reach a final close of $150 million in August. The private equity firm will take a 60%...
Abraaj exits Thailand’s Unitrio to Japan’s NTT
The Abraaj Group has exited Thailand-based data center provider Unitrio Technology to NTT Facilities (NTTF), a unit of Japan's Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT).
IFC may anchor Thailand-focused Lakeshore fund
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering a commitment of up to $20 million to Lakeshore Capital Fund I, a Thailand-focused GP that is seeking to raise $100 million.
PE, strategics bid for Thai Life Insurance stake – report
A clutch of private equity firms and strategic investors have reportedly entered the bidding for a 20% stake in Thai Life Insurance, with the deal expected to reach around $500 million.
Healthy holidays: PE and medical tourism
Asia’s medical tourism sector is growing rapidly as visitors flock east for cheap surgical procedures. How big is the opportunity for private equity and where can it be found?
Japan's Aeon eyes CVC's Matahari - report
Japan's Aeon Group and a unit of Thailand's Central Group are said to be eyeing CVC Capital Partners-owned Indonesian retail group Matahari Department Store.
Navis, Rabo see 1.9x return on Thai duck deal
Navis Capital Partners' exit from Thailand-based duck processor Bangkok Ranch marks the end of a 13-year holding period – among the longest in the firm’s portfolio.
Abraaj exits Thai restaurant chain Hot Pot after IPO
The Abraaj Group has exited restaurant chain Hot Pot after taking the company public on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in September. Hot Pot sold 101.9 million shares at THB2.80 apiece, raising THB285.3 million ($9.3 million), in an offering that was...