DealStreetAsia

Eleventh-grade student Akshath Mugad uses the Byju's learning app at home in Mumbai. The app has 2 million paid subscribers. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Startups

Sequoia scores 21-fold return in Indian edtech exit

Byju's shares sold to General Atlantic, Naspers Ventures and Canada Pension Plan

22 January 2020
Listings on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2019 were dominated by mid-sized and smaller companies, each raising less than 500 billion rupiah. Only six companies out of 54 listing last year raised more than 500 billion rupiah.
Markets

State-owned companies to dominate Indonesia's IPO scene this year

Sanitary napkin maker Softex and cold chain operator Diamond plan floats

14 January 2020
Domino's Pizza entered Indonesia in 2008 and the company now has over 120 stores in eight cities including Jakarta.
Business deals

Everstone to review exit plan for Indonesian food portfolios

PE firm hires Rothschild regarding sale of Domino's Pizza and Burger King franchises

7 January 2020
Lotte will shut down online marketplace Lotte.vn on Feb. 20. 
Retail

Lotte to shut down Vietnam online marketplace

South Korean giant fails to catch up rivals including Alibaba-backed Lazada

28 December 2019
Motorbikes crowd Vietnam's city streets. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Startups

Technology investors spurred by Vietnam's robust growth

Significant opportunities for funders of all sizes and stripes

26 December 2019
The U.S. fund has met with SoftBank's top management, including CEO Masayoshi Son, as it pushes the Japanese group to up its game.
25 December 2019
Singapore-based hotel and booking group RedDoorz holds its independent hotel owners to standards such as clean linen for guests, offering them economies of scale in return (Photo by Rie Ishii).
Startups

OYO and RedDoorz spice up Indonesia's co-living segment

Investors look on as foreign groups jostle with local startups over room rentals

22 December 2019
Oyo claims to be the world's second-largest hotel operator with a portfolio of more than 12 million rooms across 80 countries. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Startups

SoftBank-backed OYO to cut 500 jobs in India

Layoffs come as hotel startup's Japanese investor shifts focus to profits

21 December 2019
Online fashion brand Pomelo is based in Bangkok but hopeful of cracking the Chinese market. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Startups

Provident Capital 'raising $200m' for second SE Asia fund

Gojek and Pomelo investor's new vehicle is set to close in Q1 2020

16 December 2019
Taojiji discounted heavily to win over customers. 
Companies

Pinduoduo challenger Taojiji bankrupt after funding attempt fails

Failure to bring in two big investors tips company over edge

9 December 2019
Keppel REIT is one of Asia's leading real estate investment trusts with a portfolio of Grade-A commercial assets in such cities as Singapore, Sydney and Seoul.
Business deals

Singapore-based Keppel REIT in $110m green loan from OCBC

Listed landlord plans to expand its environmentally friendly building portfolio

6 December 2019
HDBank went public in early 2018 and currently has a market capitalization of about $1.2 billion.
Business deals

Dutch bank FMO weighs $40m in funding for Vietnam's HDBank

Ho Chi Minh City-listed lender to expand green trade finance business

4 December 2019
Indonesia's economy is driven by private consumption and a rising middle class.
Startups

Indonesian market research startup bags $1m in seed funding

Populix provides insights to help clients better understand local consumers

3 December 2019
The fund will look for tech related to Alipay's core business, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Startups

Ant Financial plans $1bn unicorn fund for India and Southeast Asia

Investment will focus on online-payment related tech

28 November 2019
A roadside stall displays an ad for the Paytm digital wallet in Kolkata, India, in January 2017. 
Startups

India's Paytm raises $1bn with SoftBank's contribution

Deal stipulates IPO in 5 years and sends market value over $16bn

25 November 2019
Surveillance cameras on display at the annual Huawei Connect event in Shanghai, Sept. 18, 2019 (REUTERS/Aly Song).
China tech

China invests in security industry with $7bn fund

State-owned China Reform Holdings and ministry tout 'sunrise sector'

25 November 2019
IHH Healthcare is one of the largest groups in the sector by market capitalization, employing more than 55,000 people across 80 hospitals in 10 countries, including at this hospital in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Keiichiro Asahara)
Business deals

Malaysia's IHH leads $20m injection for cancer-test startup Lucence

Health care giant hopes to deploy liquid biopsy technology

22 November 2019
Women vendors display Nokia phone models for sale along with smartphones at the 'Computer Village' in Ikeja district in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, Nigeria May 31, 2017. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye
Startups

China investors back Africa-focused fintech startup

SoftBank Ventures, Sequoia also throw weight behind Lagos-based payments company

21 November 2019
FLF is one of India’s largest integrated and branded fashion companies. (Screenshot of company website)
Business deals

Blackstone invests $244m in Indian fashion giant

Deal includes 6% stake in Future Lifestyle Fashions

20 November 2019
Pakistan's venture capital market and startup ecosystem are still in its nascent stages, but are drawing increased interest from foreign investors, with support from the wider Pakistani diaspora thought to be crucial (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed).
Startups

Fatima Gobi Ventures to close $20m Pakistan fund by end November

Fund set to invest in startups in the e-commerce, fintech and mobility sectors

11 November 2019
WeWork has been on a cost-cutting spree since it pulled back from an IPO in September, but is expanding in Vietnam's growing startup ecosystem. 
Startups

WeWork to add two new locations in Vietnam this year

Expansion follows canceled IPO and bailout by investor SoftBank

7 November 2019
A screenshot of the ShopClues website: The company was launched in 2011, in the early days of Indian e-commerce.
Business deals

Singapore e-commerce platform acquires Indian peer ShopClues

Qoo10 paves the way for further expansion beyond Southeast Asia

1 November 2019
A gas station attendant stands next to a car as he fills it with compressed natural gas in New Delhi.
Business deals

Dutch bank to lend India's Ess Kay $40m to spread natural-gas cars

FMO funding will help convert gasoline and diesel vehicles

1 November 2019
A Pomelo store in Bangkok: The Thai fashion retailer is one of the startups in Jungle Venture's portfolio.
Business deals

Singapore VC raises $240m for its third Southeast Asian fund

Jungle Ventures eyes stakes in 10 to 15 consumer brand and software startups

30 October 2019
Burger King says it has 147 outlets and serves 7 million customers across seven cities in Indonesia.
Business deals

Everstone Capital said to eye exit from Indonesia's Burger King

Southeast Asia-focused private equity fund may face challenges finding buyer

29 October 2019