News
China's Xpeng raises $1.5b in US IPO, soars on debut
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng – which has a string of PE and VC investors – gained 41% on its New York trading debut after raising $1.5 billion in an upsized IPO.
PAG buys majority stake in Indian wealth manager
PAG has invested approximately $300 million for a 51% stake in the wealth management business of Indian financial services players Edelweiss Group. The goal is to demerge and list the unit within 18 months.
GL Ventures, Gaorong invest $80m in China's Kaikeba
Chinese vocational education platform Kaikeba has spun out from Huike Group and raised RMB550 million ($80 million) in Series A funding led by Gaorong Capital and GL Ventures, the VC unit of Hillhouse Capital.
LPs warn of adverse ESG impact in India - AVCJ Forum
LPs told the AVCJ India Virtual Forum that Indian private equity firms may struggle to raise capital from international investors if they don't make progress on environment, social and governance (ESG) issues.
KKR leads $150m round for China education platform
Huohua Siwei, a China-based children's online education platform specializing in mathematics and science, has raised $150 million in the first tranche of Series E led by KKR.
Hahn & Co buys Korean Air's catering, duty free businesses
Hahn & Company is making its second acquisition from South Korea’s Hanjin Group – six years after carving out the Hanjin Shipping bulk carrier business – having agreed to buy the in-flight catering and duty-free operations of Korean Air for KRW990.6...
RA Capital leads round for China's Connect Biopharma
Connect Biopharma, a drug developer based in China and the US, has raised $115 million in Series C funding led by RA Capital Management.
Chinese rocket developer i-Space raises $173m
Chinese commercial rocket developer i-Space - also known as Interstellar Glory Space - has raised a RMB1.2 billion ($173 million) Series B round led by State-owned Beijing Financial Street Capital Operation Center.
PE-backed Kalyan Jewellers files for $235m IPO
Indian jewelry retailer Kalyan Jewellers, which counts Warburg Pincus among its investors, is looking to raise INR17.5 billion ($235.7 million) through a domestic IPO.
PE-backed Ant Group files for Hong Kong, Shanghai IPO
Ant Group, the financial technology affiliate of China’s Alibaba Group, which has raised more than $20 billion in external private funding, has filed for a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
China expands registration-based IPO system to ChiNext
Registration-based IPOs - which rely on information disclosures rather than regulatory approvals - have arrived on Shenzhen's ChiNext board following a successful trial on the Shanghai Star Market.
Fashion retailer C&A sells China business to local investor
Dutch fashion retailer C&A has agreed to sell its China business to Beijing Zhongke Tongrong Private Equity Investment Fund.
India's Mela Ventures reaches $17.5m first close
Mela Ventures, an Indian venture capital firm launched by the co-founders of IT outsourcing player Mindtree, has achieved a first close of INR1.3 billion ($17.5 million) for its debut fund.
Blackstone agrees $2.3b carve-out from Japan's Takeda
Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical has agreed to sell a portfolio of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and health products to The Blackstone Group for JPY242 billion ($2.3 billion).
CDC commits $10m to India’s Chiratae
UK-based development finance institution CDC Group has committed $10 million to the fourth fund being raised by India’s Chiratae Ventures.
Chinese robotics player XYZ raises $20m
Source Code Capital has led a $20 million Series A round extension for XYZ Robotics, a Chinese start-up specializing in robotic hand-eye coordination. Other investors include Gaorong Capital and Morningside Venture Capital.
India's FarEye gets additional $13m for Series D
Indian logistics platform FarEye has received additional funding of $13 million from The Fundamentum Partnership and a fund managed by South Korea’s KB Investment.
AVCJ Awards 2020 - last call for nominations
Nominations for the 2020 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards will close on September 30 at 6 p.m. Hong Kong time. Please take the opportunity to have your say on the year's outstanding firms, fundraises, investments and exits.
Carlyle exits Korean garment manufacturer
The Carlyle Group has agreed to sell its majority stake in Korean apparel manufacturer Yakjin Trading Corporation to domestic fashion giant JS Corporation for around KRW14.3 billion ($12 million).
B Capital to support Yalochat's Asia expansion
B Capital has led a $15 million Series B round for Yalochat, a US-headquartered messaging-focused customer relations management platform, with plans to help it introduce its solutions to emerging markets in Asia.
OMERS names new Asia infrastructure head
Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) has appointed Prateek Maheshwari, an existing managing director at the firm, as its head of infrastructure in Asia.
Baring Asia leads $209m round for India’s RBL Bank
A consortium of investors led by Baring Private Equity Asia will invest INR15.6 billion ($209 million) for a 19.55% stake in listed Indian lender RBL Bank.
China insurance tech platform Waterdrop receives $230m
Shuidi, a China-based insurance technology platform also known as Waterdrop, has raised $230 million in Series D funding jointly led by Tencent Holdings and Swiss Re Group. Existing investors IDG Capital and Wisdom Choice Global Fund re-upped.
US-China tensions worry tech investors - M&A Forum
Asia technology investors warned that an escalation in US-China tensions that impedes the development of start-ups will ultimately cost end-consumers as well as public market investors.