The Carlyle Group
Private equity's fashion fix
When it comes to capitalizing on rising disposable incomes in key Asian markets, investors are finding the region’s fashion and lifestyle segment in vogue
Carlyle backs Indian affordable housing firm
The Carlyle Group's $26 million commitment to Value & Budget Housing Corporation (VBHC) last week is significant in that it marks the affordable housing developer’s graduation to the investment mainstream. The company was founded in 2009 by what Shankar...
AXA, LGT buy $901m in secondary assets from German bank
AXA Private Equity and LGT Capital Partners have acquired a EUR620 million ($901 million) private equity portfolio from Germany’s HSH Nordbank. The portfolio is said to include stakes in about 47 private equity funds, including European vehicles managed...
Indian ethnic fashion retailer seeks private equity investment
Wolfensohn Capital Partners is going to sell its 8% stake in ethnic fashion retailer Fabindia. The exit comes as Fabindia looks to raise around INR2 billion from new investors.
Carlyle appoints MD of investor relations for Australia, New Zealand
The Carlyle Group has hired Natasha Nankivell, former executive director and head of private capital markets for Asia of Macquarie, as a managing director of investor relations for Australia and New Zealand. Nankivell has previously held senior positions...
Reliance Communications again seeks PE buyers for tower unit
Reliance Communications is courting private equity firms and strategic investors as it seeks to sell its 95% stake in tower unit Reliance Infratel. The company has hired UBS to arrange a sale and is looking to recoup $5 billion for the asset, Reuters...
Market volatility hits US-listed buyout firms
Publicly traded buyout firms have seen their share prices fall 19-27% so far in August, compared to a 9.5% drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. As the market troubles escalated yesterday, with the Dow retreating 3.7%, Blackstone Group, KKR, Apollo...
AVCJ Forum: More than meets the eye
In the June 22 edition of this column, I shared a conversation with a venture capitalist about the reasons why it makes sense for VCs to attend the AVCJ Forum (www.avcjforum.com) in November. Basically, senior partners of the larger private equity and...
Covalent partial-exit marks end of an era
The name Toshiba Ceramics is firmly rooted in the golden age of Japanese private equity. In 2006, The Carlyle Group and Unison Capital bought the company from Toshiba Group for JPY91 billion ($774 million at the time) in what was one of the most expensive...
China Life recieves PE investment license - report
Chinese insurance major China Life has been granted a license to raise a private equity fund, China’s 21st Century Business Herald first reported, and has targeted its first investment.
Actis considers revised bid from AMRI for Sterling Hospitals
Actis is negotiating the sale of its Indian portfolio company Sterling Hospitals, AMRI, a hospital chain backed by local conglomerate Emami and real estate developer Shrachi Group. AMRI is said to have bid INR6 billion ($133 million) for an 80% stake,...
Carlyle, Unison sell nearly half of Covalent for $450m
The Carlyle Group and Unison Capital has sold part of Covalent Materials, a Japanese silicon wafer and ceramics manufacturer to Taiwanese solar wafer maker Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS). The deal size has not been disclosed, but it is thought to...
Temasek forms JV with South Africa's Oppenheimer family
Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings will form a joint venture private equity fund with South Africa’s E. Oppenheimer & Son International. James Teeger, group managing director at E. Oppenheimer, told Reuters that each party would make...
Mandolin Fund ups stake in Sino-Forest to 18%
Singapore-based Mandolin Fund now owns 18% of Sino-Forest, having increased its stake in the scandal-hit forestry company for the third time in four weeks.
Carlyle-backed New Century Hotel Group plans IPO
China’s New Century Hotel Group, one of The Carlyle Group’s portfolio companies, plans a $400 million IPO in Hong Kong in September, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley have...
PEP, Unitas tipped to sell Independent Liquor to Asahi
Asahi Group Holdings has emerged as the leading candidate to purchase New Zealand drinks maker Independent Liquor, which is currently owned by Pacific Equity Partners and Unitas Capital. The deal could be worth up to NZ$1.4 billion ($1.2 billion), Dow...
Carlyle completes third CPIC sell-down
The Carlyle Group remains on courpse for one of its biggest cash exits globally after making a third sell-down in China Pacific Insurance (CPIC) in the space of seven months. The private equity firm is believed to have raised around $990 million in its...
Asia distressed assets: Off the radar
While the region’s phenomenal growth story has mostly sidelined any discussion of distress, insiders see that changing
Emerging markets, fewer buyouts
Asia is top of many investors'wish lists, yet it is interesting how many Western GPs and LPs refer to the region as an emerging market. To those of us living in Asia – and many others on the outside – the term seems hopelessly outdated.
Carlyle to invest up to $194m in Haier Electronics Group
The Carlyle Group will invest up to $194 million in Haier Electronics Group (HEG), a Chinese white goods manufacturer, potentially taking a 9% stake in the company.
Ex-AIA boss seeks PE backing to buy Aviva’s non-core businesses
Former AIA CEO Mark Wilson is trying to raise private equity funding to bid for Aviva’s non-core emerging markets business, The Financial Times, reported, citing people familiar with the situation. The UK firm is considering a sell-off of its smaller...
Mandolin raises its stake in beleaguered Sino-Forest to 15%
Singapore-based Mandolin Fund has increased its stake in scandal-hit Chinese forestry company Sino-Forest to nearly 15%. The fund’s announcement on Wednesday that it had bought a further 5.3 million shares on July 26 saw the Toronto-listed stock close...
Cargotec set to buy Carlyle’s stake in China Crane
Finland’s Cargotec will acquire The Carlyle Group’s 49% stake in China Crane Investment Holdings in connection with a joint venture it has agreed with Jiangsu Rainbow Heavy Industries (RHI).
Carlyle in third China Pacific sell-down since December
The Carlyle Group is selling nearly one-third of its stake in China Pacific Insurance for up to $1 billion, according to a term sheet seen by Dow Jones Newswires. The transaction would be the latest in a series of sell-downs that have put the private...