Exits
US regulator gets access to Chinese audits
The threat of delisting that has haunted Chinese companies that trade on US exchanges appears to have receded after the US regulators announced they had gained full access to the audits of these companies for the first time.
2023 preview: Exits
IPOs and trade sales have been muted in 2022, but industry participants expect strategic investors to be more active in Asia next year, especially as valuations moderate. Increased secondary deal flow is also likely
2023 preview: India PE
India’s domestic growth story appears unobstructed, but some international investors could hold their fire. The local PE industry will not graduate to the next level without that foreign capital
2023 preview: Australia PE
Market pressures on Australian businesses, including an increasingly serious labour shortage, are a challenge and opportunity for domestic private equity. So is China, but in less discernible ways
2023 preview: Southeast Asia VC
Southeast Asia VC is in fair position to hobble through a global downturn and cooling appetite for all things tech despite controversial politics in the region’s largest market and a dicey IPO outlook
2023 preview: Japan middle market
Confidence in Japan’s middle market is whipping up new deal flow, new funds, and new exit channels that will play out in 2023. This includes the possible reanimation of a dormant IPO market
2022 in review: End of the party?
Fundraising favours the few; deployment becomes progressively slower as investors agonise about valuations, macro prospects, and financing costs; sponsor-to-sponsor deals prop up exits
BPEA EQT cancels purchase of Korea's PI Advanced Materials
BPEA EQT – formerly Baring Private Equity Asia – has pulled out of its planned acquisition of a majority stake in Korea-based industrial films producer PI Advanced Materials from Glenwood Private Equity.
KKR-backed EQuest buys Vietnam school operator
EQuest Education, a Vietnam-based operator of bilingual schools backed by KKR, has acquired a controlling interest in industry peer Khoi Nguyen Education Group (KNE).
Asia secondaries: Layers and structures
With private market valuations yet to see a meaningful reset in Asia and heightened risk factors in China, investors are exploring ways to drive secondary deal flow by closing the bid-ask spread
Carlyle sells Japanese snacks maker to D Capital
The Carlyle Group has exited its 100% stake in Japanese snack maker Oyatsu Company for an undisclosed sum to D Capital after a more than eight-year hold.
TPG exits Sri Lanka's Union Bank of Colombo
TPG Capital has agreed to exit Union Bank of Colombo (UBC), a Sri Lanka-based lender it has held since 2014, to a Singapore-registered company of unspecified ownership.
Chinese investors sell international assets of condom maker LifeStyles
A Chinese investor group featuring several private equity firms has sold the non-China assets of LifeStyles Healthcare, a global sexual health and wellness platform best known for the Lifestyles condom brand, to US-based Linden Capital Partners.
Singapore's Temasek launches internal review of FTX deal
Temasek Holdings has launched an internal review into the circumstances that led to its investment in collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, but Singapore’s deputy prime minister refused to criticise the organisation’s governance structures.
Deal focus: LionRock finishes polishing Clarks
LionRock Capital is exiting Clarks to its majority partner, Li Ning-owned and Hong Kong-listed Viva China, having helped the struggling British shoe brand survive the pandemic
Deal focus: IFM secures debut long-term capital deal
Targeting PRP Diagnostic Imaging through its long-hold fund meant IFM Investors could offer the company stability and partnership. It expects to generate dividend yield and capital growth
China's CMC trims stake in City Football Group
China-based CMC Capital has exited the bulk of its remaining stake in City Football Group (CFG), a series of football clubs built around the Manchester City brand, with CMC founder Ruigang Li vacating his seat on the company’s board.
ACE Equity-backed SPAC acquires US electronics player
ACE Convergence Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Korean PE firm ACE Equity Partners, has completed a merger with US-based electronics manufacturer Tempo Automation. The equity valuation of the business was cut...
Lighthouse seals partial exits from India's Nykaa with 14x return
Lighthouse Funds has generated a more than 14x multiple on its investment in India-based beauty e-commerce platform Nykaa following two partial exits in the past fortnight.
Hong Kong's LionRock exits UK shoe brand Clarks
LionRock Capital, an Asian private equity firm that invests in global consumer brands with a China growth angle, has agreed to sell its stake in British shoe brand Clarks to Viva China, a holding company controlled by Li Ning, founder of the eponymous...
India's Five Star completes $195m IPO, GPs make partial exits
Five Star Business Finance, an Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC) that has received several rounds of private funding, gained 3% on debut following an INR 15.9bn (USD 195m) domestic IPO.
Brookfield buys Hong Kong's Trimco from Affinity - update
Affinity Equity Partners has sold Hong Kong-headquartered garment label manufacturer Trimco Group to Brookfield Asset Management, for an enterprise value of USD 850m.
GPs seek alternatives in absence of US IPOs – AVCJ Forum
Private markets investors have responded to the drop-off in US IPO activity by exploring listings within Asia, while M&A is expected to play a more important role, the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum heard.
BPEA EQT, Blackstone, PEP claim top prizes at AVCJ Awards
Baring Private Equity Asia – now BPEA EQT – retained the large-cap firm of the year prize at the 2022 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards as it, Pacific Equity Partners (PEP), and The Blackstone Group claimed two victories apiece.