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Qingdao Haier, KKR Form Strategic Partnership (Asia)
Global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts (KKR) and China-based home appliance manufacturer Qingdao Haier have announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which KKR will acquire a ten percent stake in Qingdao Haier for a reported RMB3.4 billion (approximately US$556 million). The company intends to use the new funding to grow its global platform. The transaction is subject… Read More
Discovery Americas-Backed Volaris Completes US$346 Million Initial Public Offering (Latin America)
Controladora Vuela Compañia de Aviación (Volaris), a Mexico-based low-cost airline backed by private equity fund manager Discovery Americas, has completed an initial public offering on the Mexican Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. During the first week of trading, Volaris' American depositary shares gained 21.1 percent from the IPO price to close at $14.53 on Tuesday, 24 September.… Read More
TradeHero Creator Raises US$10 Million (Asia)
China-focused venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers China and IPV Capital have invested US$10 million in Singapore-based MyHero, creator of the stock market simulation app TradeHero. Since its launch in January, the app has reportedly attracted 250,000 users from 200 countries. MyHero intends to use the capital injection to expand product development and marketing. Read More
Mid Europa Partners Completes Investment in Jaworzyna Krynicka (CEE and CIS)
CEE and CIS-focused buyout investor Mid Europa Partners has acquired a 75 percent stake in Poland-based ski lift operator Kolej Gondolowa Jaworzyna Krynicka from Polish financial institutions PZU and PKO BP for a reported EUR11.8 million (approximately US$15.9 million). The transaction was completed through Polskie Koleje Gorskie (PKG), an entity that is currently majority owned by Mid Europa, as an… Read More
Warburg Pincus Picking Up Around a 30 Percent Stake in Biba for Over US$50 Million (Asia)
Global private equity firm Warburg Pincus has struck a deal to purchase around a 30 percent stake in India-based retailer Biba Apparels. Warburg Pincus will buy retail operator Future Ventures’ 28.3 percent stake for around INR2.97 billion (approximately US$47.4 million) and pick up a two to three percent stake from company promoter Siddharth Bindra for around INR300 million (approximately US$4.8… Read More
Cordiant, EBRD Provide US$142 Million Syndicated Loan to Kazakh Power Project (CEE and CIS)
Emerging markets-focused debt and equity fund manager Cordiant Capital has committed a US$10 million loan to a US$646 million project by Kazakhstan-based power company Central-Asian Electric Power Corporation (CAEPCO). The loan, which is structured through Cordiant Emerging Loan Fund IV, is being made in partnership with development finance institution European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD). CAEPCO intends to use… Read More
TPG in US$715 Million China Exit (Asia)
Global private investment firm TPG has sold its stake in China-based holding company UT Capital, operator of UniTrust Finance & Leasing Corporation, to financial service provider Haitong Securities’ subsidiary Haitong International Holdings in a deal worth US$715 million. TPG, which owned a 100 percent stake in UT Capital, replaced company management and built out the company’s processes to provide leasing… Read More
Investcorp Acquires a 30 Percent Stake in Saudi Arabia’s Theeb Rent a Car (MENA)
Investcorp, a Bahrain-based manager of alternative investment products, has acquired a 30 percent stake in Saudi Arabia-based car rental company Theeb Rent a Car. The transaction was structured through Investcorp’s Gulf Opportunity Fund. Theeb currently employs 900 people and operates a fleet of over 10,000 cars. The company intends to use the new capital to consolidate its market position and… Read More
IDG Invests in Chinese Personal Finance App Developer (Asia)
China-focused investment firm IDG Capital Partners has participated in a Series A funding round for Hangzhou Wacai Science, a China-based personal finance management mobile app. The transaction amount was reportedly more than US$10 million. Hangzhou Wacai Science, which has developed two mobile apps that record a user’s daily spending and manage credit card expenditure, previously received a seed investment for… Read More
Havenvest Private Equity Middle East and Al Rashed Group Acquire Stake in IT Integrator Omnix International (MENA)
MENA-focused private equity firm Havenvest Private Equity Middle East, formerly known as HSBC Private Equity Middle East, and Saudi Arabia-based trading and industrial conglomerate Al Rashed group have jointly arranged the acquisition of a significant minority stake in UAE-based IT systems integrator Omnix International. Omnix intends to use the new financing for company growth. Financial details of the transaction were… Read More
The Abraaj Group Exits Filipino Medical Hospital Daniel O. Mercado Medical Center (Asia)
Global growth markets investor The Abraaj Group has announced a full exit from its investment in Philippines-based tertiary medical hospital Daniel O. Mercado Medical Center (DMMC) through a buy back arrangement with the Mercado family. The Abraaj Group originally invested in DMMC in September 2010 alongside the Mercado family. DMMC used the financing to expand its market reach, service offering… Read More
Medu Capital in Two South African Bookstore Deals (Sub-Saharan Africa)
Medu Capital has partnered with former Exclusive Books chief executive officer Benjamin Trisk and private investor Marke Barnes to buy two entities, South Africa-based book retailer Exclusive Books and academic book distributer Van Schaik Bookstores, from South Africa’s Times Media Group (TMG). The consortium will pay ZAR325 million (approximately US$32.8 million) for Van Schaik’s assets and ZAR90 million (approximately US$9.1… Read More