News
New Silk Route to buy Nando’s India franchise – report
New Silk Route (NSR) will reportedly acquire a 74% stake in the Nando’s India franchise as it continues efforts to build a platform of India restaurant assets.
Ekuinas acquires Malaysian shipping services provider
Ekuinas, the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, has completed a MYR220.9 million ($72.3 million) buyout of OMNI Petromaritime, a company that provides offshore support vessels to the oil and gas industry. Ekuinas acquired an 82.5% stake in OMNI for MYR150.9...
Anacacia agrees to sell Rafferty's to H.J. Heinz
Anacacia Capital has agreed to sell baby-food producer Rafferty’s Garden to H.J. Heinz, prompting a review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCA). There is sufficient crossover between the two companies’ businesses that the commission...
Japan's NTT DoCoMo to set up $125m venture fund
Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo is to set up a venture fund and incubation program targeting mobile business models and technologies.
Hedge fund Dymon branches into PE – report
Hedge fund manager Dymon Asia Capital is said to have launched a private equity vehicle with support from Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings. It is the latest in a string of managers to offer both hedge fund and PE strategies under one...
Axis CEO Arun Korati to join IL&FS – report
Arun Korati, managing director and CEO of Axis Private Equity, is reportedly stepping down to join IL&FS Investment Managers (IIML), the private equity arm of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS).
KPMG opens Myanmar office
KPMG is opening an office in Myanmar, becoming the first of the Big Four accounting firms to establish a presence in the frontier market.
Taiwan’s SinoPac to enter fund admin business
Taiwanese financial services company SinoPac plans to set up a fund administration unit in Hong Kong targeting private equity and hedge funds with less than $100 million in assets under management.
CVC names three co-chairmen to succeed Michael Smith
CVC Capital Partners’ chairman, Michael Smith, will retire in January and be succeeded by Donald Mackenzie, Rolly van Rappard and Steve Koltes. The announcement comes as the private equity firm prepares to launch its latest global buyout fund with a...
Blackstone to buy Shanghai office tower
The Blackstone Group has reportedly agreed to purchase Shanghai’s Huamin Imperial Building, an office tower valued at approximately RMB7 billion ($1.12 billion).
Clifford Chance appoints new head of Asia Pacific corporate practice
Clifford Chance has named Mark Shipman as the new head of its Asia Pacific corporate practice, replacing Roger Denny, who is stepping down after 10 years. Shipman will continue to lead the firm’s global funds and investment management practice, while...
Apax-owned Travelex to expand in China
Apax Partners-owned Travelex will expand its China footprint on becoming the first overseas operator to receive a nationwide foreign exchange license. The company plans to add a further 20 outlets in the next year to its current tally of 35, begin rolling...
Japan mulls bank rule change, prompts protectionist fears
The Japanese Government is considering altering regulations to allow banks to own larger stakes in Japanese companies, prompting fears of protectionism among the private equity community.
LPs chose direct route into Indian property
APG Asset Management, the group responsible for one-third of all collective pension schemes in the Netherlands, plans to make direct investments into Indian real estate rather than make commitments to private equity funds.
Dhingana raises $7m in Series B funding from VC players
Lightspeed Venture Partners has led a $7 million Series B funding round for Dhingana, a Indian social music streaming site. Existing investors Inventus Capital Partners and Helion Venture Partners also participated.
CPPIB acquires interests in two Australian shopping malls
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has acquired interests in two Australian shopping centers through a A$436 million ($450 million) investment in AMP Capital Retail Trust. CPPIB now has a 37% stake in the trust, which in turn owns 50% of Macquarie...
Korean court says Woongjin will honor MBK’s Coway deal
A South Korean court overseeing bankruptcy proceedings of Woongjin Holdings has said that the company’s biggest shareholder will honor an agreement to sell a controlling stake in subsidiary Woongjin Coway to MBK Partners. The deal was put on hold last...
Freshfields promotes Shanghai PE lawyer to counsel
International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has promoted Christian Zeppezauer from its corporate practice in Shanghai to the role of counsel.
KKR opens office in Singapore
KKR opened its office in Singapore on Thursday – its seventh in Asia and 15th globally – as a base for its investment activities across Southeast Asia.
Carlyle completes first Southeast Asia deal
The Carlyle Group has made its first investment in Indonesia, reportedly buying a stake of around 25% in telecom towers operator Solusi Tunas Pratama (STP) for $100 million. The private equity firm confirmed to AVCJ that it had completed its debut transaction...
Mumbai Angels to launch $20m sidecar fund
Mumbai Angels, an Indian investment firm focusing on early stage companies, is to launch a maiden sidecar fund of INR1 billion ($20 million) next month.
Australia’s RMB invests in card producer Placard
RMB Capital Partners, an Australian mid-market private equity firm backed by South Africa's FirstRand, has led an investment in Placard, a Melbourne-based producer of secure transaction cards. It is partnering with the existing owner and management team,...
Shanghai VC firm launches JV with MicuRx Pharma
Shanghai Zhangjiang Biomedical Industry Venture Capital has formed a joint venture with MicuRx Pharma, a Sino-US bio-pharmaceutical company, to support the development and commercialization of antibiotic MRX-I for the Chinese market.
Guanxi secures Series A funding from SingTel Innov8
SingTel Innov8, the corporate venture capital arm of SingTel Group, has led a Series A round of funding in Guanxi, a mobile social network services (SNS) spin-off from Chinese mobile search and marketer mInfo.