Analysis
Indian e-commerce: Tipping the scales
India’s new e-commerce policy seeks to provide clarity for all industry participants, but many stakeholders are wary that the government plans to tilt the playing field against overseas players
Data infrastructure: Steel and thin air
Wrongly dismissed as a mere communications upgrade, data infrastructure is a new asset sub-class unto itself. A growing field of investors is recognizing the evolving opportunity set
Automation and investment: Channeling the flow
Investors are beginning to experiment with automation in various aspects of the deal-making process. Results to date are encouraging but lack detailed cost-benefit insight
PE and tech investment: The late show
Private equity firms are participating in late-stage rounds in Asia’s technology space as they look to gain a toehold in start-ups with the potential to transform economies. But do the valuations make sense?
Tech investment case study: True North and Seedworks
True North aimed to set Indian seed maker Seedworks apart from its competitors by leveraging digital technology. Two years into its investment the private equity firm is seeing its initiatives pay off
Back office technology: Clearing cobwebs
Technologies credited with completely transforming the financial sector have yet to make a dent on day-to-day operations in private equity. The status quo, however, will not last
PE and tech investment: Forward planning
The growing influence of technology across every industry is forcing PE firms to review approaches to investment. Ensuring the right people have the right information sits at the heart of these efforts
India healthcare: The growth infusion
Indian hospitals are increasingly attractive for private equity investors. GPs can thrive in the space with a well-defined growth strategy that takes local market requirements into account
China biotech: Finding the formula
An eruption of investment and company creation in Chinese biotech has signaled the dawn of a raw but promising market. First-movers must negotiate immediate pitfalls while targeting long-term upside
2Q analysis: Flipping out
Flipkart sets the tone as strategics deliver tech trade sale exits; Chinese internet players and healthcare are the trendsetters in investment; buyouts, venture stand out in Asia fundraising
Trans Pacific Partnership: A rising tide
When the US withdrew from the Trans Pacific Partnership, the remaining participants decided to go it alone. Hopes are high that the deal will result in improved business environments across Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia GPs: Judgment day
With nearly every Southeast Asia-focused GP set to spend some part of 2018 on the fundraising trail, LPs must once again deliberate on the optimal fund size, strategy, and geographic coverage for the region
Malaysia PE: Shaken, not stirred
Malaysian investors are unfazed by a period of political tumult that has directly embroiled the country’s government-guided private equity industry. An erratic growth trajectory now appears set to stabilize
China-US tech: The innovation game
The emergence of domestically-developed tech business models in China that can be exported overseas has VC investors hoping the country can become known as an innovator rather than a copycat
Outsourced CIO: Secret sauce
Teams spinning out from US endowments are competing in an increasingly competitive market for outsourced investment mandates from institutions. Scale and differentiation are the key selling points
China-US trade: Balance of power
A long-smoldering trade dispute between the US and China has begun to reverberate globally across a range of sectors. Private equity must not ignore the potential impacts
Warranty and indemnity insurance: The information barrier
Warranty and indemnity insurance is growing in popularity in Asia, particularly in emerging markets. A lack of understanding is the biggest impediment to its widespread adoption
Temasek and CFOs: PE to the people
It has taken Temasek Holdings four secondary transactions over 12 years to create a product that allows retail investors to participate in its private equity portfolio. Will others follow suit?
Growth mezzanine: Paying their dues
Growth capital situations can provide a healthy source of deals for established mezzanine investors, but high barriers to entry will pose challenges for newcomers
Japan robotics: Friendly faces
Japan’s home robotics industry is still in its early stages, and considerable work is required to create devices that can both appeal to everyday consumers and meaningfully contribute to their lives
Japan outbound M&A: Looking for growth
Unable to find growth at home, Japanese companies are looking for it overseas. Private equity investors can be helpful in everything from execution to integration, provided they can prove their credentials
Japan demographics: New normal, new entries
Private equity investors see potential for growth in Japan’s demographic contractions. Countercyclical and tangential consolidation strategies are the preferred gambits in a churning macro environment
Japanese LPs: Stirring giants
Japan’s LP landscape is in a state of flux as several large-scale investors ramp up their alternatives programs. The industry must prepare itself, in terms of personnel, structures, and expectations
Key person clauses: Man overboard
The complexity of a private equity firm’s key person clauses – and the number of people they encompass – says much about its institutionalization. The transition is not always easy, for GPs or LPs
