USA
Blackstone sells SeaWorld stake to Chinese trade buyer
The Blackstone Group has agreed to exit theme park operator SeaWorld by selling a 21% stake to Zhonghong Zhuoye Group – a Chinese real estate developer with an interest in leisure and tourism – for about $449 million.
FTV Capital leads $56m round for Indian researcher
US venture investor FTV Capital has taken a minority stake in India-based industry research and consulting company MarketsandMarkets after leading a $56 million funding round.
VCs invest $75m in US-New Zealand aerospace player
US venture capital firms Data Collective and Promus Ventures have joined a number of existing investors in a $75 million Series D funding round for US and New Zealand-based aerospace company Rocket Lab.
Kubera Partners exits India's Planetcast
New York and Mumbai-based private equity firm Kubera Partners has agreed to sell its 28% stake in India’s Planetcast Media Services through a secondary transaction with an undisclosed PE buyer.
500 Startups opens Australia office
US-based early-stage investor 500 Startups has agreed to establish its Australian headquarters in Melbourne after receiving financial support from the state government of Victoria.
B Capital adds investment partner
B Capital Group has hired former Eight Roads Ventures managing director Kabir Narang as an investment partner in Singapore.
Euronet challenges Alibaba's acquisition of PE-backed MoneyGram
US payment services company Euronet Worldwide has extended a buyout offer worth about $2 billion for NASDAQ-listed MoneyGram, contesting a bid made earlier this year by Alibaba Group’s PE-backed affiliate Ant Financial. The pending sale will provide...
PE and smart manufacturing: Intelligent designs
The emergence of internet-connected manufacturing has created a new investment area that will impact adjacent sectors and even entire economies for decades to come. PE is among the early movers
Institutional investors and private equity: Cracks in the ice?
Competition is intense at the upper end of the global buyout space, with abundant dry powder and readily available debt pushing up valuations. LPs are keen to allocate to the asset class, but will they end up disappointed?
Platinum to buy Staples' Australia, New Zealand business
US-based private equity firm Platinum Equity has agreed to buy the Australia and New Zealand businesses of business products supplier Staples.
Hong Kong PE buys into US-HK entertainment merger
Co-High Investment Management, a Hong Kong-based private equity firm focused largely on culture and media, has agreed to invest in a film production company formed through a US-Hong Kong merger.
Brookfield to acquire SunEdison's yieldco platforms
Canada's Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to buy two energy platforms operated by US-based renewable energy producer SunEdison, including one with over half its total capacity in Asia.
EDBI, Hewlett Packard back US IT player's Asia push
Singapore's EDBI and the venture arm of Hewlett Packard’s software spin-off HPE have joined a $21.5 million Series C funding round for an Asian expansion drive by US-based IT company Hedvig.
Formation Group closes debut US-Asia fund at $357m
Formation Group, a Silicon Valley and Asia-focused venture capital firm established by Brian Koo (pictured), co-founder of Formation 8, has closed its debut fund at $357 million.
US online lender SoFi raises $500m to expand in Australia
US online lender and financial services company SoFi has secured a $500 million Series F funding round led by Silver Lake for an expansion effort into Australia.
Ex-HarbourVest Asia head withdraws candidacy for US navy secretary
Philip Bilden, the former Asia head of HarbourVest Partners, has withdrawn himself from consideration to be US navy secretary, citing potential conflicts with his family’s business interests.
K2 Global raises $183m for US-Asia VC fund
K2 Global has raised $183 million for its debut venture fund, which aims to promote cross-border development in Asian and US technology start-ups.
US materials group gets $15m for China, Korea push
A group of investors including GSR Ventures has committed $15 million to C3Nano, a US-based supplier for the touchscreen and digital display industry looking to expand its footprint in China and Korea.
Singapore's Temasek opens San Francisco office
Singapore’s Temasek Holdings has opened an office in San Francisco, expanding its US presence following the establishment of a New York office in 2014.
500 Startups appoints Edith Yeung as Greater China partner
Silicon Valley-based early-stage investor 500 Startups has appointed Edith Yeung as Greater China partner, replacing Rui Ma who left the firm last year to launch her own fund.
VCs commit $60m to US VR firm for Asia push
Several Asian VC investors have joined a $60 million Series D round for US-based virtual reality (VR) and digital cinematography technology developer Lytro to support its expansion into Asia.
Softbank to buy US-listed Fortress for $3.3b
SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire Fortress Investment Group – which manages $36.7 billion in alternatives – for approximately $3.3 billion in cash. It puts the Japanese company on course to become one of the world’s largest asset managers.
Vertex leads $7.5m Series A for India's Flutura
Vertex Ventures, the VC arm of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, has led a $7.5 million investment in Flutura Business Solutions, an Indian data services provider that uses internet-of-things (IoT) technology.
Global Logistic Properties confirms buyout bids
Global Logistic Properties (GLP), a Singapore-listed warehouse operator with a $40 billion portfolio – over half of which is based in China – has confirmed the receipt of multiple buyout offers.