News
Malaysia's Ekuinas buys 40% stake in local cloud player
Malaysian government-backed private equity firm Ekuinas has acquired a 40% stake in domestic cloud services provider Exabytes Capital Group for MYR44 million ($10.8 million).
VCs, strategics support $41m round for Singapore's InstaRem
Singapore-based digital payments service provider InstaRem has closed its Series C round with $41 million from a group of investors including Vertex Growth Fund and South Korea’s Atinum Investment.
Singapore's Tookitaki raises $7.5m Series A
Tookitaki, a Singaporean technology provider that helps institutions develop regulatory compliance programs, has raised a $7.5 million Series A from a group of investors including Jungle Ventures.
Carlyle buys stake in Chinese textiles manufacturer
The Carlyle Group has agreed to invest RMB726 million ($108 million) for a 10% stake in Chinese home textiles maker Luolai Lifestyle Technology.
Warburg Pincus to buy India education finance business
Warburg Pincus has agreed to acquire an 80% stake in Avanse Financial Services, an India-based non-banking finance company (NBFC) focused on education.
M12 leads Series B for Australian training platform
M12, the VC arm of Microsoft, has led an approximately $21 million Series B round for GO1, an Australian workforce services technology start-up focused on corporate training.
DNX Ventures launches $300m Japan-US VC fund
DNX Ventures, formerly known as Draper Nexus Ventures, has launched its third Japan-US cross-border VC fund with a target of $300 million.
Vietnam’s VinaCapital backs two local tech start-ups
Vietnam’s VinaCapital has made investments of undisclosed size in two local start-ups - financial technology provider Wee Digital and marketing services player UrBox.
Unison to exit Japan's Ayumi to Blackstone
The Blackstone Group has made its first transaction in Japan, agreeing to acquire Ayumi Pharmaceutical Corporation from Unison Capital and medical information site operator M3.
Warburg Pincus invests $100m in China B2B platform Yijiupi
Yijiupi, a China-based online B2B trading platform that established itself in liquor before expanding into other consumer goods categories, has raised 100 million in an extended Series D round from Warburg Pincus.
CLSA buys Japanese toy maker
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has agreed to buy Bloom Group, a Japanese toy manufacturer best known for its “squishy” products popular among elementary and middle-school-age girls.
Singapore’s VisVires backs domestic food tech player
VisVires New Protein, a Singapore-based VC firm specializing in food technology has led a $5 million round for Nutrition Innovation, a domestic start-up focused on healthier sugar production.
MBK-owned Homeplus abandons plan for Korean REIT
Homeplus, a South Korean supermarket retailer that an MBK Partners-led consortium acquired from Tesco for $6.4 billion in 2015, has abandoned plans for the IPO of a real estate investment trust (REIT).
Chinese robotics developer secures $15m Series A
Hangzhou Guochen Robotic Technology, a Chinese company that manufactures intelligent service robots and incubates start-ups in this field, has raised RMB100 million ($15 million) in a Series A round led by domestic VC firm Yingshi Jijin.
Asian PE firms still struggle with tech investments - Bain & Co
Private equity firms are deploying increasing amounts of capital into Chinese internet plays without having a clear understanding of what the target businesses are worth or how to add value to them, according to Bain & Company.
Investors commit $65m to Indian digital insurance player
Acko General Insurance, an Indian online insurance broker with several VC and strategic backers, has raised $65 million from a group of new and existing investors.
Japan's Infinity Ventures targets $120m for fourth fund
Japan-based Infinity Ventures has launched its fourth fund focused on Japan and China with a target of $120 million.
TPG terminates Bill McGlashan amid US bribery scandal
TPG Capital has terminated Bill McGlashan (pictured), founder of its mid-market investment platform TPG Growth and co-founder of impact investment vehicle The Rise Fund, after he was charged this week for his role in the college bribery scandal in the...
China enterprise SaaS provider raises $45m from Sequoia
Jushuitan, a China-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider of operating management systems to small to medium-sized e-commerce operators, has received RMB300 million ($45 million) from Sequoia Capital China.
China's Lufax hits $39.4b valuation with Series C round
Lufax, a Chinese online lending and wealth management platform established by Ping An Insurance, has achieved a post-money valuation of $39.4 billion with the completion of the Series C funding round. It comes after the company was said to have postponed...
Everstone's healthcare platform makes first India investment
Everlife, an Asia healthcare investment platform managed by India’s Everstone Group, has made its first investment in India, committing an undisclosed amount to medical device manufacturer CPC Diagnostics.
Bertelsmann leads $27m round for India's AgroStar
Bertelsmann India Investments has led a $27 million Series C round for AgroStar, an Indian mobile retail platform focused on the agriculture sector.
Brookfield to buy majority stake in Oaktree
Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to acquire a 62% stake in Oaktree Capital in a deal worth about $4.7 billion.
Shunwei leads round for Chinese apparel platform Yi Shou
Shunwei Capital, a VC firm established by Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, has led a RMB55 million ($8 million) Series B round for B2B apparel sourcing and wholesaling platform Yi Shou.