Analysis
Asia distressed assets: Off the radar
A decade ago, in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, the region’s distressed assets were all the rage as investors moved in for opportunities to turnaround businesses that were underfinanced or failing. With emerging economies now flourishing,...
INCJ: Collaborator or competitor?
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has always divided opinion. The government-run entity, which operates with the support of local corporations, is intended to support new growth businesses.
Funds dine out in China
Private equity is banking on all-you-can-eat opportunities in China. Last week, Apax Partners became the latest fund to enter the low-to-mid-priced food market, with the acquisition of Golden Jaguar, a buffet-style restaurant chain specializing in Western...
Women in private equity: Minority report
When asked to name most difficult aspect of being a woman in private equity, Lisa Suennen, co-founder and managing member of California-based venture capital healthcare investor Psilos Group, cites the adage that women need to work twice as hard to get...
Is China pushing VCs out of third-party payment?
Jack Ma is every bite the internet pioneer. In Alibaba.com, he created China’s leading business-to-business trading platform; Taobao swept aside eBay to become the number-one auction website; and the launch of Alipay, a third-party payment service, plugged...
Funds monetize Japan's aging demographic
Japan may be the world second-largest economies but, by Asian standards, it is also one of the most mature. GDP growth is lackluster and the consumer market is pedestrian compared to those of the region’s emerging nations, which are still driven by urbanization,...
China's brokerages get the green light to launch funds
The flood of entrants into China's domestic private equity market has largely been driven by cash-rich companies, local government entities and high net worth individuals all chasing pre-IPO deals. Formal financial institutions have found themselves held...
China's farms show growth potential
Got milk? Olympus Capital Holdings Asia certainly has – more than 72,000 tons of it, in fact. The private equity firm, with co-investors Mueller Milch Management and unnamed existing investors, last week took an undisclosed significant minority stake...
China funds: Cult of personality
Wang Gongquan's apparent departure from China’s private equity industry was nothing if not dramatic. An early-stage investment pioneer with IDG Venture Partners, Wang went on to found CDH Venture Capital, notably guiding Qihoo 360 to the US markets in...
PE advisers prepare for US registration requirements
The US has adopted registration and disclosure provisions for investment advisers, leaving the private equity industry to fret about the costs and hassles of compliance
Vietnam's road to reform
A strong consumer market is one of Vietnam’s most appealing qualities, but long-term economic stability is still required
India's lower-tier urban opportunities
As demand for consumer goods rises among India’s 1.2 billion population, private equity has been scouring the cities for a windfall. Yet, this growth – and the competition for deals that has arisen from it – has also prompted a handful of private equity...
Islamic finance: From Middle East to Far East
Shari’Ah-compliant private equity investing is all about being ethical – so how exactly did one fund end up investing in a Malaysia-based company with ties to a brewery? Alcohol-related companies are, of course, strictly off limits for Islamic investing....
American LPs and Asia GPs: A meeting of minds
American LPs' LPS’ fastination with private equity opportunities in Asia is firmly rooted in macroeconomic fundamentals. The region accounts for 30% of global GDP and 50% of global growth – and ongoing urbanization industrialization in China and India...
Korean financial plays are not for foreigners
The Woori and Mirae Asset Life Insurance deals are cause for hope, but foreign PE may still find life difficult
Corporates lead India VC into the light
Early-stage funding has been hard to come by in India. Corporate funds plugged the gap but competition is now rising as venture capital matures
India exits: M&A trumps IPO
A new study reveals sharp disparities in preferred private equity exit routes in China and India
Japanese GPs prepare for a smaller future
Consolidation is in the cards as Japan’s private equity industry focuses on mid-cap plays rather than buyouts
Does Taiwan still like buyouts?
The rejection of a KKR-led MBO of Yageo is yet more disheartening news for Taiwan’s PE community
Archer's activity masks poor PE sentiment
The spate of deals done by Archer Capital in recent weeks suggests that Australia’s private equity industry is abuzz with activity.
Buyouts reassess their Australia risk
A hot currency and a degree of regulatory uncertainty are not turning investors away from Australia, but they may alter how buyouts do business there
Angel investors rise in China
Venture capitalists are turning to earlier-stage funding as they seek to add value and avoid the crowded growth capital space
Private equity seeks Southeast Asia consumer plays
Has private equity become infatuated with the Southeast Asian consumer? As valuations continue to rise in China and India, industry participants note that a growing number of funds are now looking for deals elsewhere in the region.
China's LP problem
When the world's largest equity players announced plans to launch renminbi-denominated funds in China, there was no shortage of headlines. This was what they had been waiting years for: an opportunity to tap into the growing wealth of local institutions...