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Standard Chartered Private Equity Backs Sri Lanka’s Abans with US$40 Million (Asia)
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has reportedly invested US$40 million in Sri Lankan home appliance and electronics retailer Abans. Carrying global brands including LG, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, Haier, Whirlpool, Sanyo, Sharpe, Philips, Apple and HP, Abans currently operates 400 showrooms across Sri Lanka. The company will use the capital to add 200 new employees, expand its retail network and complete… Read More
Philippines’ Pension System and Asian Development Bank in US$625 Million Infrastructure Fund (Asia)
The Philippines Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has partnered with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) and Dutch pension fund asset manager APG Asset Management to launch a US$625 million fund dedicated to infrastructure investment in the Philippines. The Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PINAI), as the fund is known, received commitments of US$400 million… Read More
Nexxus Capital Announces an Additional Investment in Moda Holding in Order to Acquire Zingara (Latin America)
Mexico-based private equity fund manager Nexxus Capital, through its parallel funds Nexxus IV and Nexxus V, has made an additional investment in Moda Holding, which will finance the acquisition of Zingara, a Mexico-based swimwear, beachwear and accessories retailer. Moda Holding is a Mexican retail platform that operates over 130 stores under various brands including Dorothy Gaynor and NPI (No Pienses… Read More
Kidswant Announces Investment by Warburg Pincus of US$55 Million (Asia)
Global private equity firm Warburg Pincus has invested US$55 million in China-based maternity, infant and children specialty retailer Kidswant, which will use the capital to increase its store counts and expand its geographical coverage. The Kidswant transaction represents Warburg Pincus’s second recent deal in China, following a US$200 million investment in China Auto Rental in July 2012. Warburg Pincus is… Read More
Navis Capital Partners Sells Wall Street Institute to Pearson (Asia)
Malaysia-based private equity firm Navis Capital Partners has announced the sale of Indonesia-based PT Efficient English Services (EES) to global publishing and education company Pearson. EES manages the Indonesian operations of the Wall Street Institute, a global English-language education service. Navis established the Wall Street Institute business as a greenfield investment in 2007 for approximately US$1.5 million through its Navis… Read More
BanyanTree’s Second Fund Hits First Close, Reaches Close to US$100 Million (Asia)
India-based private equity fund manager BanyanTree Finance has raised US$100 million at first close for its second private equity fund, BanyanTree Growth Capital II. The fund, targeting US$175 million in total commitments, will invest in middle-market companies in manufacturing and niche industrial sectors. BanyanTree Growth Capital II received commitments from institutional investors across Asia, the United States and Europe, including… Read More
WI Harper Group Leads Series B Round for AdMaster (Asia)
Chinese venture capital firm WI Harper Group has announced the completion of a Series B round of venture capital funding for AdMaster, a China-based advertising analytics company. China-based technology-focused venture capital firm GSR Ventures also participated in the financing round. While financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, local sources reported the deal value at approximately US$5 million. Read More
Ambit Pragma Acquires 74 Percent Stake in Mumbai-based Frozen Food Logistics Firm (Asia)
India-based private equity firm Ambit Pragma has purchased a 74 percent stake in Mehta Frozen Foods Carrier, a subsidiary of India’s MRL Group that specializes in the transportation of perishable frozen food products. The investment was made through Ambit Pragma Fund II, which held a first close at US$77 million in May 2012. The fund is targeting total commitments of… Read More
Mercapital Invests in the Rubaiyat Restaurant Group to Support Its Expansion in Latin America (Latin America)
Spain-based private equity firm Mercapital has announced the acquisition of a 70 percent stake in Brazilian restaurant group Rubaiyat for approximately EUR46 million (US$56 million). Mercapital purchased the stake from Rubaiyat’s founder, Belarmino Fernández Iglesias. Rubaiyat plans to use the capital to expand its business by opening ten new restaurants in four years in Brazil and Mexico. Read More
Mid Europa Partners Agrees to Purchase 50 Percent Stake in Walmark (CEE and CIS)
Central Europe and Turkey-focused private equity firm Mid Europa Partners has announced an agreement to purchase a 50 percent stake in Walmark, an e-retailer of vitamins and nutritional supplements based in the Czech Republic. Financial terms of the transaction, which is pending regulatory approval, were not disclosed. Read More
Open English Secures US$43 Million Investment Led by Insight Venture Partners (Latin America)
Open English, an online English language school launched in Venezuela in 2006, has raised US$43 million in a financing round led by Insight Venture Partners, with Redpoint Ventures and existing investors Flybridge Capital Partners and Kaszek Ventures also participating. Open English currently serves over 50,000 students in 20 Latin American markets through live online classes led by native English-speaking teachers.… Read More
CVC, Standard Chartered to Sell Infastech to Stanley Black & Decker for US$850 Million (Asia)
Global private equity firms CVC Capital Partners and Standard Chartered Private Equity Limited (SCPEL) have announced the sale of Hong Kong-based fastener manufacturer Infastech to Stanley Black & Decker, a global diversified industrial company. The transaction, which is valued at US$850 million, is pending regulatory approval. CVC and SCPEL initially invested in Infastech in August 2010. Read More