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Headlines
News From EMPEA Registration for EM PE Forum in NY in March - Now Open! Industry News "Swicorp Joussour Seals US$149 Million Middle East Transactions" (Middle East) "Citi VC, AIG Buy 16 Percent Stake in Akruti" (Asia) "Warburg Pincus Negotiating to Buy Czech Web Portal Atlas.cz" (Central and Eastern Europe and Russia) "Ethos Acquires Wheel Retailer Tiger Automotive for US$145.4 Million" (Africa) "SigmaBleyzer Closes Fifth Fund, to Open US$1 Billion Sixth Fund" (Central and Eastern Europe and Russia) "Turkey's Leading Healthcare Provider Partners With Abraaj Capital to Expand Services in MENASA" (Middle East) "NBK Eyes Egypt Potential" (Africa) "ICICI Venture Plans US$3 Billion Infrastructure Fund" (Asia) "CDC to Continue Investing in Africa Alongside Private Equity Funds" (Africa) "Carlyle Invests US$11 Million in Product Distributor" (Asia) "Blackstone Setting Up US$675 Million Brazil Fund" (Latin America and the Caribbean) "Goldman, CDH Invest in Chinese Renewable Energy" (Asia) "Private Equity Firms Sell Stake in Mando" (Asia) "Mexican Inbursa to Acquire 38 Percent in Optima Energia" (Latin America and the Caribbean) "Temasek, Canada Funds to Invest US$450 Million in FountainVest" (Asia) "Acquisition of TV Show and Star Global Com" (Latin America and the Caribbean)
News From EMPEA
Registration for EM PE Forum in NY in March - Now Open!
Registration for the Emerging Markets Private Equity Forum in New York, March 27-28, 2008 is now open: http://www.peimedia.com/emny08
Industry News "Swicorp Joussour Seals US$149 Million Middle East Transactions" (Middle East) Trade Arabia (01/28/08) Swicorp Joussour, a private equity unit of Saudi Arabia-based financial group Swicorp, has announced the completion of US$149 million worth of investments throughout the Middle East region. The investments include a controlling stake in Eastern Petrochemicals of Saudi Arabia as well as a "strategic equity stake" in an Egyptian refining company and glass manufacturer Ghani Glass of Pakistan. Swicorp Joussour says that approval has already been given for three additional regional investments totaling US$209 million that will be executed in the coming months. Return to Headlines "Citi VC, AIG Buy 16 Percent Stake in Akruti" (Asia) Economic Times of India (01/24/08) Unnikrishnan, Rajesh AIG Capital Partners and Citi Venture Capital have acquired a 16 percent stake in real estate developer Akruti City of India for about US$380 million. Indian real estate companies have been drawing increasing interest from private equity and other investors. In September 2007, a consortium led by Deutsche Bank invested US$425 million in Lodha Group. Earlier in the year, Morgan Stanley invested US$152 million Oberoi Construction. Return to Headlines "Warburg Pincus Negotiating to Buy Czech Web Portal Atlas.cz" (Central and Eastern Europe and Russia) Forbes (01/25/08) U.S.-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus is reportedly negotiating to acquire Czech Web portal Atlas.cz from its majority owner, Epic Holding. Last December, Warburg Pincus acquired Czech Internet firm NetCentrum, which runs the second leading Web portal in the Czech Republic in terms of ad revenues, Centrum.cz. Atlas.cz is the country's fifth largest portal by ad revenue. Return to Headlines "Ethos Acquires Wheel Retailer Tiger Automotive for US$145.4 Million" (Africa) AltAssets.com (01/21/08) South Africa-based Ethos Private Equity has secured shareholder approval to acquire car wheel retailer Tiger Automotive of South Africa for US$145.4 million. Ethos earlier in January invested US$130 million in Nigeria's Oceanic Bank International. Its US$750 million Ethos Fund V closed in October 2006. Return to Headlines "SigmaBleyzer Closes Fifth Fund, to Open US$1 Billion Sixth Fund" (Central and Eastern Europe and Russia) Ukraine Business Daily (01/25/07) SigmaBleyzer, a private equity firm focused on Ukraine and Southeastern Europe, has closed its fifth fund with about US$221 million in committed capital. The fund will focus on Kazakhstan. The private equity firm plans to launch a US$1 billion fund in the second quarter of 2008 that will focus on investments in Ukraine. Return to Headlines "Turkey's Leading Healthcare Provider Partners With Abraaj Capital to Expand Services in MENASA" (Middle East) AME Info (UAE) (01/28/08) Abraaj Capital is partnering with Turkey's leading healthcare provider, Acibadem Healthcare Services, to support the latter's expansion in Turkey and establish its presence throughout the Middle East. Abraaj Capital and Mehmet Ali Aydinlar, CEO of Acibadem Healthcare, recently acquired a 69.6 percent stake in Acibadem Healthcare through a 50-50 joint holding company, Almond AS. Abraaj also acquired a 50 percent stake in leading Turkish health insurance company Acibadem Sigorta from Aydinlar though its US$2 billion Infrastructure and Growth Capital Fund, which aims to address the infrastructure requirements of the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) region. Return to Headlines "NBK Eyes Egypt Potential" (Africa) ArabianBusiness.com (01/19/08) Merzaban, Daliah NBK Capital says it will expand its presence in Egypt following the acquisition of a 51 percent stake in AlWatany Bank of Egypt last August by NBK Capital's parent, the National Bank of Kuwait, for US$522 million. The bank increased its stake to 96 percent as of the end of November. NBK Capital says it will open a branch in Egypt this year and pursue private equity deals in Egypt's retail, logistics, and packaging sectors. Return to Headlines "ICICI Venture Plans US$3 Billion Infrastructure Fund" (Asia) Economic Times of India (01/25/08) ICICI Venture of India is launching a US$3 billion infrastructure fund to invest in major road, port, and power projects across India. A US$2 billion real estate fund and a private equity fund of similar size are also being planned. ICICI aims to have US$10 billion in assets under management by 2010. Return to Headlines "CDC to Continue Investing in Africa Alongside Private Equity Funds" (Africa) Thomson Financial (01/23/08) U.K.-government owned funds of funds CDC says that Africa is becoming a growing focus of private equity due to its mineral wealth, economic growth, and growing consumer class. CDC has invested in an African fund established by Helios Investment Partners and owns Globeleq's sub-Saharan power generation assets through a fund managed by Actis. CDC says it will use the latter as a platform to invest in other power generation projects on the continent. The fund of funds has committed a total of US$1.8 billion to over 60 funds focused on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Return to Headlines "Carlyle Invests US$11 Million in Product Distributor" (Asia) Korea Times (01/23/08) Ja-young, Yoon The Carlyle Group has acquired an undisclosed stake in South Korean financial product distributor FN STARS for US$11.1 million. The investment was made through the US$680 million Carlyle Asia Growth Partners III. Carlyle Asia Group has a number of investments in Korea, including after-school private education institute TOPIA Education and semiconductor design company TLI. Return to Headlines "Blackstone Setting Up US$675 Million Brazil Fund" (Latin America and the Caribbean) Reuters (01/25/08) Blackstone Group is reportedly setting up a US$675 million fund for investments in Brazil through a partnership with local private equity firm Patria Investimentos, which already has two funds in the country. The fund will focus on investments in Brazil's infrastructure, civil construction, food, health, and education sectors. Return to Headlines "Goldman, CDH Invest in Chinese Renewable Energy" (Asia) Wall Street Journal (01/23/07) Carew, Rick Goldman Sachs Group and CDH Investments, a private equity firm focused on investments in private companies in China, have acquired a minority stake in China's Himin Solar Energy Group for about US$100 million. The investment is based on China's growing reliance on and exportation of renewable-energy technology. The government of China has set a goal of doubling the share of renewable energy in the country's energy mix to 15 percent by 2020. Return to Headlines "Private Equity Firms Sell Stake in Mando" (Asia) Financial Times (01/22/08) Tucker, Sundeep; Jung-a, Song Private equity firms CCMP Capital and Affinity Equity Partners have sold their combined 72.4 percent stake in South Korea-based car parts maker Mando to a consortium led by Halla Engineering and Construction of South Korea for US$690 million. Halla sold the stake to the private equity firms eight years ago for US$450 million after it went bankrupt. Since switching hands, revenues at Mando have doubled. Return to Headlines "Mexican Inbursa to Acquire 38 Percent in Optima Energia" (Latin America and the Caribbean) Latin America News Digest (01/22/08) Mexico-based financial group Grupo Financiero Inbursa will acquire a 38 percent stake in Optima Energia of Mexico. The acquisition will be made through Inbursa's investment unit Sinca. Optima Energia specializes in projects that promote energy efficiency. Return to Headlines "Temasek, Canada Funds to Invest US$450 Million in FountainVest" (Asia) Dow Jones Newswires (01/21/08) Paris, Costas Insiders report that China-based private equity firm FountainVest will receive a total of US$450 million from Singapore's state-owned investment company Temasek Holdings and two Canadian pension funds. FountainVest is seeking another US$250 million for its first fund. The private equity firm was established by Frank Tang, formerly of Temasek, and will invest in midsize companies in China. Return to Headlines "Acquisition of TV Show and Star Global Com" (Latin America and the Caribbean) Business Wire (01/23/08) An investor group led by Communications Equity Associates (CEA) has acquired a controlling stake in Old UGC from Liberty Global. Old UGC owns interests in Latin American pay-for-view television companies TV Show of Brazil and Star Global Com of Peru. CEA is a U.S.-based investor group focused on the global communications, media, entertainment, and IT industries. Return to Headlines Abstract News © Copyright 2008 INFORMATION, INC. |
30 January 2008
Emerging Markets Private Equity NewsWatch provides a selection of noteworthy articles pertaining to private equity investing in emerging markets and is distributed weekly to a wide audience. The Emerging Markets Private Equity NewsWatch is a publication of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. For more information on EMPEA and advertising inquiries, please contact: Emerging Markets Private Equity Association  |