Analysis
ESG best practice: From global to granular
The value creation-driven PE playbook on ESG in Asia converts marginal gains into big picture policy wins – provided investors focus on the right areas and the flow of information isn’t stymied
Virtual reporting: Lost in translation
GP-LP reporting in the age of remote portfolio assessments and stilted video catchups leaves much to be desired. Both sides are trying to bridge the divide, but no best-practice approach has emerged
Australia private wealth: Choosing channels
The swelling bank balances of Australia’s high net worth individuals and family offices are an attractive target for private equity. Access is becoming increasingly formalized across the spectrum
China take-privates: Holding pattern
Pressure is mounting on Chinese companies listed in New York, from domestic and US regulators. Is another wave of PE-backed take-privates imminent?
Secondaries: Straight outta Asia
The growing secondaries opportunity in Asia is attracting more global capital, but managers with strategies dedicated to the region are few. This is changing, albeit gradually
GP profile: China Renaissance
China Renaissance’s technology-focused investment business has grown from nothing to $9.5 billion in seven years. The firm wants to remain a boutique operator rather than embrace all stages and strategies
Asia fintech: Platform plays
Expansion is the dominant theme in financial technology as start-ups leverage existing assets to enter new verticals, typically in lending. Which ones will become Asia’s preeminent platforms?
Blockchain: Going mainstream
The most disruptive technology in financial services is also the most esoteric and misunderstood. As a long, speculative uptake phase unfolds, investors are coming to terms with the future
NFTs: Spirits in an invisible world
The use of blockchain to create digital assets has evolved from the mass circulation of ethereal, volatile, and interchangeable tokens into something that feels much more real
Corporate VC: Appetite for disruption
Banks across Asia are leveraging their capital and domain expertise to stay ahead of the curve on financial technology. Each aspect of the corporate VC ecosystem engages with start-ups in different ways
India family offices: Tech exposure
Demand for technology exposure among India’s most affluent is intensifying. Family offices may vary in profile, experience, and mode of access, but they all want a piece of the latest hot start-up
China education: Opportunity erased?
Private equity investors have pumped billions of dollars into Chinese online education platforms, notably in the K-12 space. A regulatory crackdown has left them wondering how they can get their money back
Southeast Asia fundraising: Indecision time
Southeast Asian GPs jockey for global attention with mixed results as the largest LPs continue to hesitate to commit to the region. A trickle of investment fuels theories about how to get more
India IPOs: A pleasant surprise
The lack of a reliable IPO channel is a longstanding exit obstacle for venture capital investors in India. Domestic listings may, unexpectedly, prove to be the answer
China beauty: Service with a smile
Beauty and wellness are at the vanguard of China’s fast-rising services sector. Investors see clear paths to growth, but size presents a plethora of problems in terms of standardizing service quality
Australia LPs: Revert to the mean
Engagement, efficiency, and accountability are the driving forces behind reforms to Australia’s superannuation system. But could private equity lose out in a race to the middle on returns?
Portfolio: Integral Corporation and Nitto FC
Japan’s Integral Corporation treads lightly in the conservative agriculture space as it helps fertilizer maker Nitto FC evolve from an owner-centric culture to a more distributed power structure
2Q analysis: Trouble in China
Efforts to rein in China’s technology giants have dampened investor sentiment, with India and Southeast Asia stepping into the void. China remains active for fundraising, but there are fears that US IPO activity could take a hit
GP profile: Unison Capital
Unison Capital hones its game and holds tight to its heritage as one of the pioneers of private equity in Japan, even as its tentacles begin to span the breadth of Asia
Asia fundraising: Fortune favors the bold?
LPs cannot survive indefinitely on re-ups and new commitments to managers they know well. Questions are being asked internally as to what it would take to back an Asian GP sight unseen
China beauty: Traffic jam
The impact of China’s internet-oriented emerging consumer brands is arguably more pronounced in beauty than anywhere else. Gaining a foothold is one challenge, keeping it is another
PE & gambling: Ante up
Private equity has exhibited consistent appetite for gambling-related assets amid pandemic-fueled uncertainty. Regulation remains a significant wildcard in Asia. Reputational risk, not so much
China: A controversial ESOP
An employee stock ownership plan introduced alongside Hillhouse Capital’s 2019 investment in Gree Electric Appliances has raised questions about enrichment and alignment
Portfolio: Mandala Capital and EFRAC
Mandala Capital is helping Indian food and pharma testing laboratory EFRAC distinguish itself against a field of ragtag competitors. Personnel, networks, and technology are the critical inputs
