News
Sequoia-backed Citrus Payment raises $5.5m in Series B funding
Citrus Payment Solutions has raised a $5.5 million Series B round from Japanese investors econtext Asia, an online payments company, and Beenos. Existing investor Sequoia Capital also participated in the round.
Standard Chartered PE re-ups in Indonesia’s Navigat
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has invested an additional $25 million in Navigat, an Indonesian company that develops independent power systems for off-grid locations. The equity commitment came in conjunction with a $279 million debt refinancing...
Aion, Apollo to invest $157m into Avantha Holdings – report
Aion Capital Partners and Apollo Global Management are reportedly investing INR9.6 billion ($157 million) in Avantha Holdings, the holding company of the $4 billion conglomerate Avantha Group. Avantha is also in talks to raise $100 million from KKR, an...
Tokio Marine to launch $294m mezz fund
Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance is to launch a new mezzanine fund with a target of JPY 30 billion ($294 million).
Baring Asia adds leverage to Hexaware acquisition
HT Global IT Solutions Holdings, an affiliate of Baring Asia, has pledged its entire stake in Indian business processing outsourcing (BPO) firm Hexaware Technologies with Standard Chartered Bank to help pay for its acquisition.
BootstrapLabs launches Korea accelerator
Silicon Valley-based accelerator program BootstrapLabs, and Coolidge Corner Investment (CCVC), a Korean technology venture firm, have together formed BootstrapAccelerator Korea, a Seoul-based six-month accelerator program.
Southern Capital offers $111m for Malaysian university operator
Southern Capital Group (SCG) has made a buyout offer for HELP International Corp, a listed Malaysian university operator, valuing the company at MYR359.3 million ($111.4 million). Should the offer be successful, HELP would be taken private.
APN agrees to exit advertising JV to Quadrant
APN News & Media has agreed to exit its interest in advertising business APN Outdoor to joint venture partner Quadrant Private Equity for A$69 million ($66.5 million).
Alastair Morrison to retire from Standard Chartered PE
Alastair Morrison, who was co-head of Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) until earlier this year, will retire from the firm at the end of the month. The move is said to be independent of the restructuring taking place within SCPE that will reduce...
Baring Asia named Firm of the Year at AVCJ India Awards
Baring Private Equity Asia was named Firm of the Year at the 2013 AVCJ India Awards, while SAIF India’s Ravi Adusumalli won the Private Equity Professional of the Year honor and KKR took the PE Deal of the Year prize.
Indian GPs emphasize value-add - AVCJ Forum
Operational involvement is increasingly a priority for Indian private equity firms as new money slowly trickles into country-focused funds, GPs said at the AVCJ India Forum.
PE-backed China Cinda prices HK IPO at top of range - report
China Cinda Asset Management, a company originally set up to absorb non-performing loans (NPLs) from China’s Big Four state-owned banks, has priced its IPO at the top end of the indicative range and is on course to raise $2.5 billion. It will be Asia’s...
PE-backed Nine raises $577m in Australia IPO
Australia's Nine Entertainment - which was saved from receivership by US hedge fund backers Oaktree Capital Group and Apollo Global Management - has raised A$631 million ($576.45 million) after pricing its IPO at the bottom end of the indicative range....
Jafco Asia leads Series B round for US games developer
Japanese venture capital investor Jafco Asia has led a Series B round of funding for US games developer Playnery. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.
Tokio Marine sells Barneys Japan stake to 7 Eleven parent
Tokio Marine Capital Partners has agreed to sell its 49.9% stake in luxury department store operator Barneys Japan to Seven & i Holdings, the parent of 7 Eleven convenience stores and department store operator Sogo & Seibu, for around JPY6 billion ($58...
CITIC Capital, Windjammer buy US valve manufacturer
CITIC Capital Partners has teamed up with US-based Windjammer Capital Investors to buy Engineered Controls International (ECI), a manufacturer of valves used in the transportation and storage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas...
Korea to broaden retail exposure to domestic private equity
South Korean regulators will make it easier for domestic retail investors to participate in private equity as part of a series of reforms designed to boost the country’s capital markets.
Anchorage-backed Dick Smith closes flat after $311m IPO
Shares in Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith Holdings, which is backed by Anchorage Capital Partners, gained 3.6% on their trading debut on Wednesday before settling back to A$2.20, the same as the IPO price. The offering earlier raised A$344.5...
Online fashion retailers Zalora, The Iconic raise $112m
Rocket Internet’s Zalora Group has raised $112 million in funding from US-based Access Industries, Scopia Capital Management and other unnamed institutional investors. Southeast Asia-focused Zalora.com and Australia’s The Iconic are part of Zalora...
EIG raises $6b for global energy fund
EIG Global Energy Partners has reached a final close of $6 billion for its Energy Fund XVI after just 10 months in the market. The fund had a target of $4.25 billion.
Japan's Ride On Express raises $23m in Tokyo IPO
Ride On Express, a Japanese food delivery franchise operator backed by Jafco Ventures, saw its stock open at JPY3105 per share - a 55% premium on the offering price - on its first day of trading. The company earlier raised JPY2.3 billion ($22 million)...
SDCL launches $200m UK-China energy efficiency fund
UK-based Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) has teamed up with with Hong Kong private equity infrastructure firm First Eastern Investment Group to launch a $200 million fund that will invest in energy efficiency projects in the UK and China.
Chinese investment in North America jumps in 2013 – study
Chinese outbound direct investment (ODI) reached $73 billion during the first three quarters of 2013, with the amount of capital deployed in North America rising nearly three-fold on a year-on-year basis, according to A Capital, a private equity firm...
TVS adds to investment team, advisory board
TVS Capital has added to its senior management team by hiring Karthik Ranganathan, formerly of Baring Private Equity Partners India and ex-Ashmore Alchemy India investments director Rahul Deshpande. Both will join the firm's investment team as executive...