Analysis
Giant maintenance: PE and corporate Japan
Restructuring is a compelling story in Japanese private equity, but deal access is constrained by perception issues and government-linked competition. Will the there be anything left for foreign players?
Japan fundraising: Sink or swim?
Investor sentiment is gradually turning on Japan. The big buyout funds must convince LPs there is sufficient deal flow in their portion of the market; the smaller players must figure out how to talk to foreign LPs
Willing to travel: Japanese tech firms look overseas
Japanese technology companies are going overseas, through corporate venture capital investments, joint ventures or commitments to third-party managers, in search of new markets and innovations
Safety first: Investing in China's food supply chain
Driven by rising disposable incomes and lower confidence in food safety, Chinese consumers are willing to pay a premium for quality. PE firms have identified the opportunity, but taking it can be difficult
Portfolio: India Value Fund Advisors and Meru Cabs
When India Value Fund Advisors launched Meru Cabs in Mumbai, it created a radio taxi service where none existed. Meru has overcome numerous difficulties to become the largest taxi company of its kind in India
China e-commerce logistics: The missing link
China’s fragmented logistics industry is a problem for e-commerce companies as they attempt to provide customers with a better quality service. Should they build competencies in house? Should PE help them?
AIFMD: Brussels flexes it muscles
Europe’s Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD), which comes into effect in July, will change the way private equity funds are marketed to EU investors. What does it means for Asian GPs?
A taste of Europe: Asian investor objectives
Asian LPs have become part of the landscape of European private equity, pursuing opportunities across buyouts, secondaries, credit and distress. But what do they really want from the region?
European infrastructure: Bubble at the core
Asian investors are drawn to the diversification and yields offered by European infrastructure, but certain segments of the market are overheating. Prices are getting bid up and returns are likely to be pushed down
Indonesia financial services: Too hot to handle
For all the foreign strategic interest in Indonesia’s financial services sector, most deals are thwarted due to a huge gap in price expectations. PE investors are steering clear of the mainstream and looking for niche value
Silver lining: Investing in Asia's elderly
An established investment trend in developed markets, private equity players in emerging Asia are considering how they can best meet the needs of the region’s aging population
Financial services in China: Carving a niche
With investment opportunities in China's traditional banking and insurance industries limited, private equity firms are looking to niche financial services. What have they found in the shadows?
Chinese PE regulation: Tug-of-war
The National Development and Reform Commission and China Securities Regulatory Commission have yet to resolve their dispute over private equity oversight. Uncertainty isn't helpful to industry participants
China GP differentiation: Plain vanilla no more
Independent funds have dominated Chinese private equity, but now princeling and affiliate funds have entered the market, offering their own competitive edge. GPs are realizing the merits of differentiation
China value-add: Empty promises?
Pulled by a desire to buy and build or pushed by a need to address restricted exit options, PE firms in China are placing greater emphasis on operational value-add. LPs must decide who’s all talk and who is action
Time to switch over: India's television market
The digitization of the Indian TV industry should deliver a more transparent system and an effective subscription model. PE firms can help with the infrastructure investment required to get there.
Survival of the fittest: China's internet giants go toe to toe
China's internet giants are on an acquisition spree as they seek to diversify their product platforms and carve out competitive positions in a battle that is likely to see valuations rise and rise
Structured solutions: GPs consider equity alternatives
Mainstream GPs in Asia are becoming more open to investments based on debt rather than equity, addressing entrepreneurs' reluctance to give up stakes in their businesses. How significant is the opportunity?
China webinar: Still a safe bet?
Exits have been preying on the minds of China-focused private equity investors as the IPO market so little signs of revival. It means GPs must think more broadly and more globally
Canary in the coal mine: GP economics under stress
Still dealing with the fallout from a fundraising boom, mid-market PE firms in Asia face the prospect of smaller vehicles in coming vintages, and team volatility comes as part of the package
Portfolio: Bain Capital and Domino's Pizza Japan
The US consumer cred of Domino’s Pizza means little in Japan where consumer tastes and cultural norms are very different to the West. Bain Capital took an innovative approach to cornering a competitive sector
India's education sector: Learning curve
There is no shortage of demand for services or investment opportunity in India’s education sector, but negotiating overcrowding and heavy regulation requires a clear strategy
Chinese IPOs in the US: Green shoots
Online retailer LightInTheBox is seeking to become only the third Chinese company to list in the US in more than a year. But has investor sentiment emerged from its long winter?
China's VIEs: A political football
The investment structure that has underpinned foreign investment in China’s internet and telecom sectors is being questioned by investors and regulators. Is the VIE dead and, if so, what could replace it?