Official Record
CITIC to build China construction education business
The evolution of China's education market can be divided into three periods that have, so far, delivered distinct kinds of companies. Phase one was the IPO boom of 2006-2008 when service providers focused on overseas studying and professional qualifications...
Southeast Asia's Lazada rockets past $700m mark
“We go in with a certain hypothesis of growth and revenue. Sometimes you’re not able to guess how the market will react. If the hypothesis is not confirmed within 3-6 months then we decide to pull out.”
Sailing to the Maldives
China has become the primary source of tourists to the Maldives. In the first six months of 2014, more than 170,000 Chinese travelers flocked to the islands, up 20% year-on-year. They accounted for nearly one in three visitors, according to the Maldives...
J-Star in hospice care double deal
Not for the first time, J-Star planted the seeds of its latest investment while in pursuit of another deal.
Creador in Repco Home Finance withdrawal
The growth of India's non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) - institutions that offer banking services without meeting the definition of a bank - is well-documented. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the share of NBFC's assets as a proportion...
SoftBank bets big on Indonesia e-commerce
Softbank's first investment in Alibaba Group came 14 years ago. The initial $20 million was followed by around $80 million more, and by the time of Chinese e-commerce giant's IPO earlier this year, the Japanese tech firm held a 32.4% stake. This holding...
Bain secures China leasing buyout
Lionbridge Financial Leasing is aptly named. The team behind the Chinese company that provides lease-back services and leasing asset management to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) started out together more than a decade ago at Zoomlion. They...
Lightbox II builds on Indian legacy
Earlier this year Kleiner Perkins Caufeild & Byers (KPCB) and Sherpalo Ventures - the investment firm founded by Ram Shriram - decided to bring their nine-year Indian adventure to a close and refocus on the US.
LPs seek co-investment with IDFC
LPs were clear in what they wanted from IDFC Alternatives. Alongside commitments to the Indian GP's latest infrastructure fund there was a strong desire for co-investment. As a result, the $900 million corpus of the recently closed India Infrastructure...
Navis makes Modern Star education play
Just over a year ago, Navis Capital Partners bought Australian childcare services provider Guardian Early Learning from fellow PE investor Wolseley Private Equity for A$120 million ($110 million). The idea then was to anticipate the rise in the demand...
Bain serves up Skylark in Tokyo IPO
When Bain Capital bought Skylark in 2011, the restaurant operator was going through one the rougher patches of its 40-year history. A dysentery outbreak had forced the closure of 120 outlets, further delaying a transaction that had already been on hold...
Google Capital in debut China VC investment
Google's discomfort at the growing level of censorship imposed on US internet players by the Chinese authorities after 2008 saw the company withdraw from the M&A scene. There were no deals at all until last week, when Google Capital – a $300 million...
3i completes med-tech upscale job
When John Thomson, head of 3i Group’s Southeast Asia business, met Singaporean entrepreneur Jay Pok in the mid-2000s, he was on the lookout for a medical technology investment. But Pok’s company, medical cable maker LHi Technology, though impressive,...
SCPE ready to bet big on Vietnam
Private equity investors have committed an annual average of $364 million to Vietnam-based companies over the past 10 years. In the space of three weeks, Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) alone has deployed over one third of this total.
Ayannah banks on the unbanked
Explaining why cross-border remittances into the Philippines are not his core business, Mikko Perez points to Hong Kong’s Central district on a Sunday, when the domestic helpers are out in force. “It’s so cut throat – we are talking basis points...
Sinarmas takes Ardent cross-border
Ardent Capital is registered in Hong Kong, but Bangkok remains its home. Previous investments by the VC firm have followed the same model – start in Thailand, then expand into other Southeast Asian markets. Now, though, Ardent is preparing to incubate...
J-Star seals first secondary exit
Japan has seen 61 private equity secondary exits since 2011 – more than the combined total for the 10 years before that. This surge in activity can largely be traced back to buyouts from the years leading up the global financial crisis. Investors want...
Morningside bets on social network
"We currently have a large position in Apple. We believe the company to be extremely undervalued. Spoke to Tim Cook today. More to come." This 24-word Tweet, comprising just 111 characters, managed to push up Apple's value by $12 billion in less than...
Blackstone pins down China's Xinrong
Driven by an aging population, increasing health awareness and a rising middle class, China's medical device market is growing at a rapid pace. A recent report by the Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association reveals that since 2000...
Second hand, first place
Manheim, the world's largest automobile auction provider, was a project more than 30 years in the making. The company facilitates sales of used cars worth $46 billion annually, dominating a US market that trades 40 million vehicles a year.
Mekong delivers golden return
As office workers clock off in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vuvuzela outlets begin to fill up. It was supposed to be a Hooters-style casual dining chain – and the female staff dress accordingly – but Vuvuzela has morphed into a very local beer club....
Aggressive demand for aggressive chemicals
Tankers used to ship chemicals require a degree of customization. Smaller than normal tankers, they are divided into self-contained compartments so that cargoes can be loaded without any mixing. There may also be specialized heating systems to keep chemicals...
LeapFrog jumps to $400m fundraise
“Emerging consumers across Africa and Asia are working to achieve prosperity and security for their families and businesses, but most have yet to reach the middle class. There is an immense demand for transformative financial tools,” says Andrew Kuper,...
VCs back Zai Lab drug development model
Few VC firms are keen to invest in China's early-stage drug discovery space because the development cycle is long and risky. Taking a new drug from clinical testing to commercialization often takes 7-10 years and the success rate in China is less than...