Opinion
Two sides of a stock market boom
April is barely 20 days old and the capital generated through share placements and sell-downs by PE investors is already at its third-highest quarterly level in two years. That’s what happens when public markets go into overdrive.
Cultivating Asia carve-outs
Private equity investors agreed or completed nearly 200 buyouts in Asia last year, according to AVCJ Research. Roughly one quarter of these were carve-outs from corporate owners. South Korea, where domestic conglomerates are under pressure to divest non-core...
China's middle market: Small is beautiful
What has become of China's middle-market GPs? Twelve managers reached final closes in 2014 of $301-750 million. All bar two of them were raising venture capital funds.
Used-car platforms: The consumer counts
Online used car trading platforms in both India and China have received capital from private equity investors in the past week. The deals threw up a number of interesting industry statistics.
Indonesia: Unrealistic expectations?
The strong fundamentals that saw Indonesia propelled into the upper echelons of private equity – by words, if not deeds – as a counterpoint to China and India are largely unchanged.
Customized solutions: LPs look beyond the blind pool
Boyu Capital and Hopu Investment Management both participated in a $2.5 billion investment in Singapore-listed warehouse developer Global Logistic Properties (GLP) last year, but the other consortium members arguably make for more interesting reading....
China gold rush: Venture in bloom
Flipping through the pages of a men's magazine in an airport lounge, I can't help but notice that double-breasted suits being hailed as one of the next big trends in menswear. Yes, the Gordon Gekko look, with some updates, is back. And like the fashion...
Australia buyouts: Downsizing
Bain Capital has completed two buyouts in Australia in the last five years. The first was a classic large-scale affair as accounting software firm MYOB was acquired from Archer Capital and HarbourVest Partners for around $1 billion in 2011. Three years...
Australian infrastructure: Greenfield gambit
Sydney's cross city tunnel entered voluntary administration in September 2013 after failing to refinance its debt. The project launched eight years earlier but slipped into insolvency in 2006 due to low traffic volumes.
China exits: Time to trade
Examined purely in dollar terms, China private equity trade sales offer little insight.
Singapore: Start-up central
When looking for an example of how Singapore start-ups previously struggled to get funding, one of the founders of tenCube was happy to oblige. Bootstrapped into existence in 2005, the mobile security solutions provider spent a frustrating 18 months trying...
PE adapts to China's new normal
China's economy grew at its slowest pace in 24 years in 2014 with GDP expanding by 7.3%. Most economists regard the current situation as a symptom of a “new normal” as China continues its transition from the world’s factory to the world’s most...
Japan's GPIF: Situations vacant
Hiro Mizuno is an intriguing choice as the first CIO of Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF). His qualifications are not about to be questioned here, but rather what his appointment means as the Japanese behemoth prepares to add helpings...
December deals: A Christmas story
JKL Partners and a unit of South Korean conglomerate Harim Group were named by a local court as the preferred bidder for bankrupt shipper STX Pan Ocean on December 17. This was slightly more generous to those looking forward to a seasonal break than the...
Five trends for 2015
After a mixed 2013, Asian private equity has enjoyed an impressive 2014. But what do the next 12 months have in store? Here are some ideas…
The trust factor: Repeat buying in Asian PE
Navis Capital Partners completed a management buyout of Dome Coffees Australia in 2003. The business grew and Navis prospered, securing a 3.5x return on exiting the asset via another management buyout five years later. Fast forward to September 2014 and...
GP-LP relations: Trust issues
“GPs think LPs are liars" - it is a sensational designed to draw attention to an issue that is nearly as old as institutional fund management itself. Numerous past surveys and mountains of anecdotal evidence suggest that communication problems and mutual...
India PE: Reasons to be cheerful
Indian private equity is, gradually, regaining favor with institutional investors. Further proof of this came at our recently concluded AVCJ Forum in Hong Kong, widely regarded as a bellwether for the Asian private equity industry. The usually – as...
Bubble talk: VC valuations
In Beijing and Silicon Valley, there is cause for concern at the flood of capital entering the technology space. It draws comparisons with the dotcom bubble era – but VCs at the AVCJ Forum were keen to play down the similarities.
Taiwan: Back from the brink
The telling blow came in the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei’s (AmCham) 2013 White Paper: Taiwan ranks second last among 17 Asian countries – trailing Sri Lanka and ahead of only Pakistan – in attracting private equity investment. The data...
Onwards and upwards: Asia's PE growth trajectory
One of the hottest topics of last year's AVCJ Forum was whether the Asian private equity and venture capital industry can remain on its growth trajectory. The region’s assets under management have expanded 12-fold in the last 20 years. While there is...
China's SOEs: Reform agenda?
Clearly nonplussed by the question, the GP's voice crept up an octave as he replied: "Of course we're bidding for Sinopec Marketing; everyone is. But I've no idea if we'll get it."
AVCJ Awards: Explaining the changes for 2014
It’s that time again. Each Autumn, competition between Asia’s PE and VC firms expands beyond deal-making and fundraising as they vie for top honors in the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards. Public voting is currently underway and closes...
India’s IPO pipeline
Indian test preparation services provider CL Educate filed for an IPO last week. Just over half of the offering will comprise shares held by the promoter and private equity backer Gaja Capital. It should come as welcome respite for the GP – which first...