News
Former Auda Asia head joins 3W Partners Capital
Pak-Seng Lai, formerly head of Asia at Auda, has joined 3W Partners Capital, which focuses on consolidation and cross-border investments through strategic resources in southern China.
Bangladesh-based SureCash gets $7m Series B round
Bangladeshi mobile banking and payments operator SureCash has raised a $7 million Series B round of funding from Asian frontier market investor Osiris Group.
Advent, Temasek to buy Crompton Greaves' consumer unit
Advent International and Temasek Holdings have agreed to buy a 34.37% stake in the consumer products unit of India’s Crompton Greaves from Avantha Group. The deal values the business at INR66 billion ($1.07 billion).
SEBI considers allowing India VC funds to boost overseas exposure
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is to revise rules governing locally-registered VC funds, allowing them to invest up to a quarter of the their capital overseas - provided the companies hold some operations in India.
Riverside adds to Australia e-learning platform
The Riverside Company has acquired C-Learning, an Australia-based developer of online education courses, to complement its existing education asset in the country, Learning Seat.
Ratan Tata buys stake in China's Xiaomi
Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the company that controls Tata Group, has invested an undisclosed sum in VC-backed Xiaomi, the first investment by any Indian in the Chinese smart phone maker.
Accel, SAIF in $12m Series B round for Coverfox
Indian online insurance marketplace Coverfox has raised a INR750 million ($12 million) Series B round from existing investors Accel Partners and SAIF India.
Biocon to list IVFA-backed India CRO unit
Indian biopharmaceutical firm Biocon has filed for an IPO for its research arm Syngene International, which is backed by India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA).
DBS, Hong Kong's Nest to launch fintech accelerator
DBS Bank has partnered with Hong Kong-based seed investor Nest to launch a financial technology (fintech) accelerator program.
EQT-backed LBX hits trading cap on Shanghai debut
Laobaixing Pharmacy Chain (LBX Pharmacy), a Chinese retail pharmacy chain backed by EQT Partners, closed up 44% on its price on the first day of trading in Shanghai.
Blackstone set for part exit as India's Nuziveedu files for IPO
Indian seeds producer Nuziveedu Seeds has filed for a domestic IPO, which is expected to facilitate a partial exit for The Blackstone Group, an investor in the company since 2008.
Sequoia leads $18m round for India handicraft site
Sequoia Capital has led an $18 million round for Indian online handicraft market place Craftsvilla.com. Global Founders Capital, a VC firm set up by Rocket Internet's Samwer brothers, also took part.
Mayfield leads Series C for Indian education tech start-up
Mayfield has led a $15 million Series C round for Indian IT certification start-up Simplilearn, with participation from previous investors Kalaari Capital and Helion Venture Partners.
Korea's NPS ups alternatives exposure to 9.9%
The National Pension Service of Korea (NPS) increased its alternatives allocation from 9.4% to 9.9% over the course of 2014 as total assets grew by 10.3% to reach KRW470 trillion ($435 billion).
Southeast Asia Netflix clone gets $30m in funding
Iflix, a Southeast Asian video-on-demand platform with a similar business model to Netflix, has received $30 million from Catcha Group and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).
Australia's CHAMP PE hires ex-CVC executive
Australian GP CHAMP Private Equity has hired Graham Brooke, a former executive with CVC Capital Partners, as a managing director based in Sydney.
Hony fully exits Chinasoft International through $170m sale
Hony Capital has made a full exit in Chinasoft International, a Chinese IT application developer, raising HK$1.32 billion ($170 million).
Financial comparison site CompareAsiaGroup gets $40m round
CompareAsiaGroup, a primarily Southeast Asia-focused service that allows consumers to compare different financial products, has completed a $40 million round of funding that will be used to support further expansion.
Integral, ANA agree joint sponsorship of Japan's Skymark
Tokyo-based private equity firm Integral Corp. has reached an agreement with local airline operator ANA Holdings to invest JPY18 billion ($150 million) in ailing Japanese carrier Skymark.
CMC Capital acquires stakes in HK broadcaster TVB
Chinese media-focused private equity firm CMC Capital Partners has acquired a stakes in the consortium that controls Television Broadcasts (TVB), a free-to-air broadcaster in Hong Kong.
China's Cybernaut partners with Russian firm for $200m fund
China's Cybernaut Capital has agreed to form a $200 million venture fund, a start-up incubator and a robotics development center with Russia's government-backed Skolkovo Foundation.
Bamboo Finance reaches $31m first close on financial inclusion fund
Impact private equity investor Bamboo Finance has reached a $31 million first close on its second financial inclusion-focused fund with commitments from Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA-CREF) and AXA-IM.
TA adds director to Hong Kong office
Global private equity firm TA Associates has hired Daisy Cai, formerly an executive director at Goldman Sachs, as a director in its Hong Kong office.
Ironbridge-owned Eclipx gains on Australia debut after $195m IPO
Australian vehicle financing and management service Eclipx, which is owned by Ironbridge Capital Partners and GIC Private, saw its stock jump 21% on debut following a A$253 million ($153 million) IPO.