News
Woori launches $495m PE fund with Posco, EIG
Korea’s Woori Asset Management has launched a private equity fund in partnership with domestic steelmaker Posco and US-based EIG Global Energy Partners. The vehicle was created in February and has a target size of KRW560 billion ($495 million), with...
L Capital backs Indian cinema operator PVR
L Capital, the private equity arm of luxury group LVMH, will invest just under INR1.1 billion ($19.4 million) in cinema and entertainment company PVR for a 10% stake. As part of the deal, L Capital will set up a joint venture with the Indian firm that...
Australia’s Gresham PE in $180m Witchery Group exit
Gresham Private Equity has agreed to sell fashion retailer Witchery Group to Country Road for A$172 million ($180.2 million). The deal will see Witchery CEO Ian Nairn replace Howard Goldberg as head of Country Road, which is majority-owned by South Africa’s...
GIC boosts cash exposure, warns of global volatility
Government of Singapore Investment Corp’s (GIC) exposure to alternative assets remained unchanged during the year ended March 2012 as cash reserves rose steeply at the expense of fixed income and developed market public equities holdings.
NTT Investment Partners backs Philippines’ Migo
NTT Investment Partners, the corporate venture capital arm of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp, has committed $2 million to Migo Entertainment, a Philippines-based digital content distributor.
Oman India fund commits $13m to explosives maker
Oman India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF), a PE vehicle owned by Oman’s sovereign wealth fund and India’s State Bank of India, has invested INR720 million ($13 million) in explosives manufacturer Solar Industries. The fund will pick up 4.28% of the...
Polaris invests in Japan's Myland Real Estate
Polaris Capital Group has acquired a 30% voting stake in Myland Real Estate through its second country-focused fund. The investment is part of the Japanese property broker's wider strategy to expand its business in preparation for an IPO in the next couple...
General Atlantic nears Snapdeal investment – report
General Atlantic is reportedly closing in an investment in online retailer Snapdeal, which would represent its first foray into Indian e-commerce. The private equity firm will participate in a round of funding worth $80-100 million.
Entrepreneurs launch Korea start-up accelerator
A group of South Korean serial entrepreneurs has launched a start-up accelerator intended to connect domestic companies with their global counterparts. Advisors and mentors to the program include US tech entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban...
Warburg Pincus backs Chinese children’s goods retailer
Warburg Pincus has invested $55 million in Chinese maternity and children’s goods retailer Kidswant. The capital will be used to increase store numbers and boost the company’s growth plans.
Macquarie raises $625m for Philippines’ first infra fund
Macquarie Group has announced a first and final close on $625 million for its Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PINAI). It is the first-ever Philippines-dedicated infrastructure fund.
PE to join in on $504m DLF land buyout
A private equity player is thought to have teamed up with Lodha Group to buy a 17.5-acre plot of land in India from DLF, the country's largest developer, for INR28 billion ($504 million).
Korea’s Woongjin, KTB Private Equity in $1b Coway deal
KTB Private Equity, an affiliate of South Korean financial services company KTB Investment & Securities, will team up with Woongjin Holdings to buy a 31% stake in water purifier manufacturer Coway for KRW1.2 trillion ($1 billion). The target company is...
Warburg’s Future Capital offer faces delays
Warburg Pincus’ offer to buy a 26% stake in India's Future Capital Holdings (FCH), the financial services unit of the Future Group, has been delayed despite reports that the $100-125 million deal was finalized last month.
SCPE backs Sri Lanka’s Abans with $40m - report
Standard Chartered Private Equity has reportedly invested $40 million in Sri Lankan family-owned business Abans.
KBank to launch Thailand's first infrastructure fund
Kasikornbank, the financial adviser to Solar Power, a subsidiary of Thailand's biggest solar-farm developer SPCG, is in the process of raising the country's first infrastructure fund. It is targeting THB5 billion ($158 million).
Sequoia invests in India healthcare services start-up
Sequoia Capital India has invested INR250 million ($4.6 million) into Bangalore-based Practo Technologies, a cloud-based clinic management platform. The Series A round will support the company's global expansion plans.
Babson to incrase Asia-Pacific lending
Babson Capital Management plans to increase the loans it provides in Australia and Asia, as borrowers are prepared to pay high interest rates due to the withdrawal of several European banks from the region.
Blue Sky pumps $2m into Australian skincare firm
Blue Sky Alternative Investments has invested $2 million in Milk & Co, the Australian skincare company founded by Olympic swimmer Michael Klim.
China relaxes QFII rules to include private equity
Private equity firms will be allowed to apply for licenses under China's Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) program, offering greater freedom to invest in domestic debt and equities. The move is part of wider efforts to open up and liberalize...
WI Harper leads Series B round for AdMaster
W.I. Harper has led a Series B round of funding for AdMaster, a China-based digital marketing service provider. GSR Ventures, which invested in the company’s Series A round in late 2010, also participated.
Navis exits Indonesia education business to Pearson
Navis Capital Partners has exited the Indonesian arm of English-language education business Wall Street Institute (WSI) to Pearson. The global publishing and education company is paying $16.3 million for the asset, which represents a 10x return for Navis.
Korea’s Woori sale fails yet again as no bidders materialize
The South Korean government’s latest attempt to exit its controlling stake in Woori Finance Holdings has failed after no one submitted a preliminary bid. The country’s financial regulator subsequently said “it would be difficult to mount another...
Bedell Cristin to offer BVI legal services from Singapore
International law firm Bedell Cristin has opened an office in Singapore from which it will provide British Virgin Islands (BVI) legal services to clients throughout Asia. Stephen Adams, who joined Bedell from BVI law firm Barker Adams at the beginning...