News
Ropes & Gray opens in Shanghai
US-based law firm Ropes & Gray has opened its third Asian office, in Shanghai, to strengthen its practice in China for clients targeting the market for business.
Hermes GPE to open in Singapore this year
Hermes GPE, the European private equity and infrastructure investment firm, will reportedly extend its operation to Singapore and the US this year.
GE Capital names India head
GE Capital, the investment arm of General Electric, has named Anand Trivedi as its new head in India, The Economic Times Reported.
IDG India invests $3m in mobile advertising company
IDG Ventures India has invested $3 million in mobile advertising company Vserv as part of a first round of institutional funding.
Lone Star to begins Tokyo Star divestment process - report
US-based buyout fund Lone Star has begun preparations to divest its 30% stake in Japanese lender Tokyo Star Bank, Reuters reported, adding that Lone Star has asked investment banks to submit proposals to advise on the potential sale.
Lazard appoints Peter Kuo as MD
Financial advisory and asset management firm Lazard has appointed Peter Kuo as managing director and head of equity capital markets in Asia, effective immediately. Kuo joins from diversified management group Cowen and Company, where he was managing director.
Mandolin Fund ups stake in Sino-Forest
Singapore-based Mandolin Fund has upped its stake in Toronto-listed Chinese forestry company Sino-Forest by 1%, bringing its total minority stake in the company to 10.9%, Reuters reported.
3i names Paul Su senior partner in China
3i China has appointed Paul Su as a senior partner in Beijing, joining the firm after 10 years at Credit Suisse, where he was most recently managing director and vice-chairman of investment banking in Greater China.
European banks tipped to dispose $45m in PE assets by 2014
European banks could divest up to $45 billion in private equity assets within three years, according to Thomas Liaudet, a partner at Campbell Lutyens. Financial institutions are looking to rid themselves of non-core assets as they restructure their businesses...
Khazanah appoints QIA's Kenneth Shen as executive director
Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the investment holding fund of the Malaysian government, has appointed Kenneth Shen as executive director of investments. Shen was formerly adviser to the chief executive officer of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and a board member...
CITIC PE to launch $773m mezzanine fund
The private equity unit of CITIC Securities is looking to tap into debt finance by launching a RMB5 billion ($773 million) mezzanine fund, Reuters reported.
Nine Entertainment meets with lenders on debt repayment
Nine Entertainment’s private equity owner, CVC Asia Pacific, has taken steps to refinance the company's A$3.6 billion ($3.8 billion) in debt, The Australian reported. This comes as Adrian MacKenzie, CVC's Australia head, starts preliminary negotiations...
Vodafone wants PE partner for its India business
Vodafone is in talks with at least two private equity companies as it seeks a replacement for its Indian partner Essar, The Economic Times reported, citing a person involved in the discussions.
KIC’s new CEO pledges to boost private equity exposure
Korea Investment Corp.’s (KIC) new chief executive has pledged to boost the sovereign wealth fund’s exposure to alternative investments such as private equity and commodities.
LaSalle boosts Australia assets to $1.8b with acquisition of Trinity Funds Management
LaSalle Investment Management has agreed to acquire Trinity Funds Management(TFM) from Australian property groups Trinity Group and Clarence Property Corp for A$9.25 million ($9.9 million) plus the net assets of the business.
Hudson Clean Energy to launch in Beijing
Hudson Clean Energy Partners, a New Jersey-based renewable power PE investor, is launching an office in Beijing and has appointed Zhongmin Shen as partner to oversee its China operations.
Actis exits Asia Books in Thailand
Actis Capital and Thailand Equity Fund (TEF) have jointly exited their 100% stake in Asia Books, a leading foreign-language books and magazine vendor in Thailand, to Bangkok-based Berli Jucker Public Company.
SCPE takes minority stake in PepsiCo's top Indian bottler
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) is set to pay INR250 crore ($56 million) for a 5% stake in PepsiCo’s top bottler in South Asia, Varun Beverages International, The Economic Times reported. That commitment would value the company at more than...
Sequoia leads $10m investment in MoboTap
Sequoia Capital led a $10 million Series A round of financing into US- and China-based mobile browser developer MoboTap, marking the venture capital firm’s first investment in a mobile browser. Matrix Partners also participated in the funding.
China's HNA Group tipped to win bidding war for GE SeaCo
Chinese conglomerate HNA Group is likely to outbid private equity firm Kelso for container leasing business GE SeaCo, the Financial Times reported. The company has been put up for sale by General Electric (GE) and its joint venture partner and could fetch...
Trinity Capital sells stake in Indian property project back to Keystone
Trinity Capital has sold its 16% stake in Kapstone Constructions, a subsidiary of Mumbai-based developer Keystone Realtors, back to the parent company for about £12.6million ($20.2million). The sale comes five years after the UK-based real estate fund...
Apollo, ICICI Venture to launch non-banking finance company in India
Apollo Global Management and ICICI Venture are planning to launch a joint venture non-banking finance company (NBFC) in India to tap the country’s growing financial services sector, The Economic Times reported, citing people familiar with the plans.
Indonesia considers cap on foreign ownership of local banks
Indonesia is considering limits on foreign ownership of domestic banks at a time when private equity firms are keen to boost their exposure to the sector. Darmin Nasution, the central bank governor, said that the potential impact of the regulations is...
CalPERS, CalSTRS announce annual gains in excess of 20%
US pension fund CalPERS announced a 20.7% return for the year ending June 30, a 14-year high, while sister fund CalSTRS reported its best performance in 25 years with growth of 23.1%.