After Chinese tech giants, US strategics up the ante on India investments

US strategics have pumped in $422 million in Indian startups across 12 deals in the first half of this year.

Vietnam’s VNPAY could raise up to $300m from SoftBank Vision Fund, GIC

The funding, if successful, will be Vision Fund's first investment in a Vietnamese company, and will catapult VNPAY into the league of unicorns.

Deals

Vietnam fintech Trusting Social bags $25m in early-stage rounds from Sequoia, others

The startup is looking to hit the market to raise a Series B round later this year.

Venture Capital

SG’s co-living startup Hmlet raises $40m Series B round led by Burda

Unicorns

Warburg Pincus-backed Trax closes $100m Series D round led by HOPU

Private Equity

India

TPG Capital leads $50m funding for south India-focused NBFC Five Star

The round has valued the Chennai-based lender at $950 million.

Rest of Asia

Funds agree to merger to create Australia’s second-largest pension firm

Combined, VicSuper and First State Super would become the nation’s second-largest non-profit super fund, behind the A$160 billion AustralianSuper.

Rest of Asia

Japanese PE New Horizon acquires Kagayaku Cosmetics from Ant Capital

New Horizon acquires Kagayaku through its third fund NH-3.

Venture Capital

Singapore

Singapore seed investor Cocoon Capital closes second fund at $22m

The fund exceeded its initial target of $20 million.

Singapore

SG’s co-living startup Hmlet raises $40m Series B round led by Burda

Hmlet had last raised a $6.5-million Series A round led by Sequoia India in November 2018.

Rest of Asia

VC funding in Asia falls 24% in June quarter due to reduced activity in China

However, funding in India continues to remain strong.

Unlock Your Competitive Advantage

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Q & A

India

Qiming’s Helen Wong says the VC is still cautious about SEA investments

Deals

China/HK

JD.com, Qihoo 360 buy $63m stake in Chinese property manager Colour Life

Colour Life became China’s first residential property manager to be listed in Hong Kong in 2014.

India

Mizuho, Nomura to finance OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal’s $2b buyback

Agarwal is raising the three-year loans by pledging his current 10 per cent shareholding in OYO.

Singapore

Librae Holdings investing $8m in The Trendlines Group placement issue

The proceeds will be used for direct and indirect investments into prospective and existing portfolio firms.

IPOs and Markets

India

GIC-backed Greenko raises $950m in Asia’s largest green bond offering

It had raised $1 billion through dollar denominated bonds in 2017.

China/HK

China’s new STAR board adds $44b in market cap in frenetic debut

Sixteen of the first batch of 25 companies more than doubled their already frothy IPO prices on the STAR Market.

Malaysia

Malaysia: The Body Shop retailer InNature to tap IPO route to raise funds

Founded in 1984, InNature is the retailer and distributor The Body Shop products in Malaysia and Vietnam.

Opinion

China/HK

Variable-interest entity structures are vulnerable to China’s whims

India

Guest Post | India’s fintech startups are good old chit funds in new avatar

India

India’s next unicorns may not be hip but they’ll get the job done

China/HK

CLSA joins China’s list of failed attempts at creating its own Goldman

Policy & Regulations

India

After Chinese tech giants, US strategics up the ante on India investments

Vietnam’s VNPAY could raise up to $300m from SoftBank Vision Fund, GIC

Vietnam fintech Trusting Social bags $25m in early-stage rounds from Sequoia, others

SG’s co-living startup Hmlet raises $40m Series B round led by Burda

Warburg Pincus-backed Trax closes $100m Series D round led by HOPU

Don't miss our daily brief

TPG Capital leads $50m funding for south India-focused NBFC Five Star

Funds agree to merger to create Australia’s second-largest pension firm

Japanese PE New Horizon acquires Kagayaku Cosmetics from Ant Capital

Singapore seed investor Cocoon Capital closes second fund at $22m

SG’s co-living startup Hmlet raises $40m Series B round led by Burda

VC funding in Asia falls 24% in June quarter due to reduced activity in China

Unlock Your Competitive Advantage

Warburg Pincus-backed Trax closes $100m Series D round led by HOPU

China’s Luckin Coffee to open shops in West Asia, India in first overseas move

Early backers Lightspeed, Sequoia set to pocket about $1.5b from OYO part-exit

Tough to say when NBFC crisis will be over: India’s RBI governor

OVO wants to be Indonesia’s largest non-banking financial institution

SG’s Anchanto to raise new funding, enter S. Korea, West Asia

Qiming’s Helen Wong says the VC is still cautious about SEA investments

JD.com, Qihoo 360 buy $63m stake in Chinese property manager Colour Life

Mizuho, Nomura to finance OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal’s $2b buyback

Librae Holdings investing $8m in The Trendlines Group placement issue

GIC-backed Greenko raises $950m in Asia’s largest green bond offering

China’s new STAR board adds $44b in market cap in frenetic debut

Malaysia: The Body Shop retailer InNature to tap IPO route to raise funds

Netflix bets big on Indian market but faces slew of rivals offering cheaper packages

Why realty investors, PE funds struggle to get good returns in India

SoftBank-backed Snapdeal boosts revenue, cuts losses by 71% in FY19

Variable-interest entity structures are vulnerable to China’s whims

Guest Post | India’s fintech startups are good old chit funds in new avatar

India’s next unicorns may not be hip but they’ll get the job done

CLSA joins China’s list of failed attempts at creating its own Goldman

Online grocer Grofers to deploy 500 electric vehicles by December

Indian government panel calls for ban on private cryptocurrencies

Indian govt said to eye tapping foreign lenders for loans to small firms

Thai tycoon’s grandson takes on Slack in enterprise messaging market

NASDAQ’s APAC ex-China listings head Rebecca Smith quits bourse

People Digest: ShopClues lays off 200 employees; BharatPe makes senior hires