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☆ Indonesia's Pertamina Geothermal in talks to buy KS Orka unit for up to $1 bln - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Geothermal developer KS Orka had earlier this year appointed DBS to explore the sale of Sorik Marapi, the sources said, declining to be identified as the matter is private. Pertamina Geothermal and KS Orka did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment on Friday. If the deal materialises, it could mark one of the biggest by Pertamina Geothermal since its domestic initial public offering in February. KS Orka acquired a majority share of the company in mid-2016, the website showed, without disclosing the value. Besides Sorik Marapi, KS Orka's other projects include PT Sokoria Geothermal Indonesia in East Nusa Tenggara, KS Orka's website showed.

Persons: Sorik Marapi, Sorik, Yantoultra Ngui, Fransiska Nangoy, Kane Wu, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Pertamina Geothermal, Pertamina Geothermal Energy, KS Orka Renewables, KS Orka, DBS, KS Orka's, Orka, Kaishan, Sokoria Geothermal, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Indonesia, Southeast, Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra, Sokoria Geothermal Indonesia, East Nusa Tenggara, KS, Singapore

Ola Electric's S1 Air e-scooters are pictured inside its manufacturing facility in Pochampalli in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, August 15, 2023. REUTERS/VarunVyas Hebbalalu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Singapore's investment firm Temasek led a $140 million funding round in India's Ola Electric at a valuation of $5.4 billion, two sources with the direct knowledge said, the latest funding for the e-scooter maker before its initial public offering. Ola did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, while Temasek, which is an existing investor in Ola Electric, declined to comment. Ola Electric, founded by Bhavish Aggarwal and backed by Japan's SoftBank Group (9984.T), has become India's e-scooter market leader with a 32% share, competing with Ather Energy as well as companies such as TVS Motor (TVSM.NS) and Hero Electric. Valued at $5 billion last year, Ola sold around 95,000 e-scooters during April-August 2023, industry data showed.

Persons: Ola, VarunVyas, Ola Electric, Bhavish Aggarwal, Japan's, Aditya Kalra, Aditi Shah, Yantoultra Ngui, Dhwani Pandya, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Temasek, Japan's SoftBank, Ather Energy, TVS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Pochampalli, Tamil Nadu, India, DELHI, India's, Temasek, Ola

☆ Economists cut Singapore 2023 growth and inflation forecasts - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Economists have downgraded Singapore's 2023 growth forecasts and inflation expectations, according to a survey by the country's central bank published on Wednesday, with spillovers from an external growth slowdown cited as the top risk. The median inflation forecast is for headline consumer prices to rise 4.7% this year, down from 5.0% predicted in June. The median forecast for MAS core inflation, which excludes private road transport and accommodation costs, is 4.1%, unchanged from the previous survey. Both headline inflation and MAS core inflation are expected to ease in 2024, to 3.1% and 2.8% respectively. About 69% of survey respondents cited the impact of a slowdown in external growth as the downside risk to the domestic outlook.

Persons: Yantoultra Ngui, Chen Lin, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Monetary Authority of Singapore, Gross, MAS, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore

☆ Singapore seizes money launderer's assets in Swiss banks in S$1.8 billion case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Straits Times Illustrations/Cel Gulapa via REUTERS/File Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSINGAPORE, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Police in Singapore investigating a major money laundering operation have seized S$125 million ($91.79 million) from the bank accounts of one of ten foreign suspects accused in the case. The total value of assets seized by investigating authorities now stands at S$1.8 billion, according to prosecutors. The scale of the money laundering operation has shocked the wealthy Asian financial hub, and raised concerns over whether there are loopholes in its financial system. A state court denied bail for two of the accused foreigners, Wang Baosen and Su Baolin, on Wednesday. ($1 = 1.3618 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Chen Lin in Singapore; Additional Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Su Baolin, Su Haijin, Chen Qingyuan, Su Wenqiang, Lin Baoying, Zhang Ruijin, Wang Dehai, Su Jianfeng, Vang Shuiming, Wang Baosen, Bank Julius Baer, Julius Baer, Chen Lin, Yantoultra Ngui, Simon Cameron, Moore, Jan Harvey Organizations: The Straits, REUTERS, Police, Turkish, Credit Suisse Singapore, Bank, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Vang

☆ Exclusive: Line Man Wongnai targets listing as early as 2025 -exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Sam Nussey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Thailand Stock exchange is pictured at an exhibition hall in Bangkok, Thailand, May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Thai food delivery startup Line Man Wongnai has begun appointing advisors to prepare for an initial public offering and is targeting a listing as soon as 2025, according to a senior executive at the Southeast Asian unicorn. Line Man Wongnai competes with Singapore-based Grab (GRAB.O), Foodpanda, and the food delivery business of Siam Commercial Bank. It was formed in 2020 from a merger of Line Man, the Thai food delivery business of Line, and restaurant aggregator Wongnai. "We are in a position to really help digitalise Thailand," said Chung, a former Goldman Sachs banker from South Korea who previously worked for Line, adding that the food delivery business is gaining market share.

Persons: Athit, Wongnai, Young Chung, Chung, Goldman Sachs, Sam Nussey, Yantoultra Ngui, Stephen Coates Organizations: Thailand Stock, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Siam Commercial Bank, Siam Cement, FoodStory, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, United States, Asia, Singapore, Siam, South Korea

☆ Trustar plans to raise fund to manage McDonald’s China stake -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Kane Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Chinese private equity firm Trustar Capital is planning to raise a so-called continuation fund that would allow it to sell down its stake in McDonald's China, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. That plan would be achieved by Trustar, formerly known as CITIC Capital, transferring some equity interest in McDonald's China from its private equity (PE) fund into the continuation fund, a new investment vehicle that would manage the asset. Currently, Trustar owns 42% of the business, while Carlyle and CITIC own 28% and 10% respectively, according to McDonald's China. Carlyle has also been considering options for its stake in McDonald's China, including setting up a continuation fund, Reuters has reported. "McDonald's China will continue to leverage the capital and other resources from CITIC (Trustar), Carlyle, and McDonald's Corp to achieve the future milestone of 10,000 stores," said McDonald's China.

Persons: Trustar, Mubadala, Carlyle, CITIC, Kane Wu, Yantoultra Ngui, Sophie Yu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Mark Potter Organizations: Trustar, Trustar's PE, McDonald's Corp, CITIC, HK, Carlyle Group, Reuters, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, McDonald's China, China, Trustar's, Abu, Chicago, CITIC, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing

☆ Malaysia's domestic banks have limited exposure to Country Garden -cbank
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Fathin Ungku/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Malaysia's central bank said on Monday that banks incorporated in the Southeast Asian nation faced limited financial stability risk arising from exposure to China's largest property developer, Country Garden (2007.HK). Such banks' exposure to Country Garden Real Estate Sdn Bhd (CGRE), the developer's wholly-owned subsidiary in Malaysia, amounted to less than 0.1% of total banking system loans and bonds by June 2023, the bank told Reuters in an email. "In the property sector, risks from unsold units from CGRE’s various projects in the country remain manageable," it added. "The current development with Country Garden Holdings Ltd in China is not expected to pose any material impact on the overall property market activity and prices in Malaysia," it said. Country Garden is building its largest overseas development, the massive Forest City project, across four reclaimed islands in the southern Malaysian state of Johor bordering the wealthy city state of Singapore.

Persons: Fathin, Anwar Ibrahim, Yantoultra Ngui, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, HK, Garden, Sdn, Reuters, Bank Negara, Garden Holdings, Malaysian, Thomson Locations: Forest City, Johor, Malaysia, Bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, Malaysian, China, Forest, Singapore

SummaryCompanies ATM, branch, card services restored -OCBCBank on standby to deploy additional resourcesLarger peer DBS faced 6.5-hour disruption in MayAug 28 (Reuters) - Singapore's second-biggest bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) (OCBC.SI), restored ATM, branch and card services on Monday after grappling with technical problems that disrupted various banking channels. OCBC, which is also Southeast Asia's second biggest lender by assets, had taken to its social media accounts earlier to warn of the issues that began at 8.33 a.m.Internet banking, mobile banking and Velocity arrangements were still affected, an OCBC spokesperson said in a response to Reuters. "We are on standby to deploy additional resources at branches and extend branch banking hours," the spokesperson added. "Our channels were impacted by a technical problem, affecting consumer and business banking customers." On May 5, the digital banking services of larger peer DBS (DBSM.SI) faced a 6-1/2-hour disruption.

Persons: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lavanya Ahire, Yantoultra Ngui, Kim Coghill, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: OCBC Bank, DBS, Chinese Banking Corp, Reuters, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Thomson Locations: Oversea, Bengaluru, Singapore

☆ Malaysia's Permodalan Nasional weighs $2.15 bln automakers merger in EV push - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PNB holds 60.6% of industrial group UMW Holdings (UMWS.KL), which in turn owns 38% of Perodua, the country's biggest automaker by market share. PNB, Sime Darby, UMW and Perodua declined to comment. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Vietnam has EV maker VinFast , while Indonesia has nickel producers including Merdeka Battery (MBMA.JK) and Trimegah Bangun (NCKL.JK) supplying the key battery metal in the global EV supply chain. Sime Darby Motor has been pushing for the adoption of EVs in Malaysia. Perodua is also eyeing breaking into the EV market and embarked last year on a study to build its first hybrid vehicle.

Persons: Otomobil, Sime Darby, PNB, Trimegah, Yantoultra Ngui, Tom Hogue, Sonali Paul Organizations: Malaysia EV, EV, Sime Darby, Permodalan, Darby Motors, State, Sime, Sime Darby Motors, UMW Holdings, country's, Daihatsu, MBM Resources, Mitsui & Co, VinFast, Merdeka, Sime Darby Motor, Thomson Locations: Malaysia, Malaysia SINGAPORE, Permodalan Nasional, Malaysian, Southeast Asia, Perodua's, Perodua, UMW, Vietnam, Indonesia, The Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia

☆ Vietnamese internet startup VNG files for IPO in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Vietnamese internet company VNG Corp has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States via VNG Ltd, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing showed. IPO proceeds will be used to pay original foreign investors who were direct shareholders of the company and repay outstanding loans, among others, the filing showed. Founded in 2004, VNG was Vietnam's first unicorn, or startup valued at $1 billion or more, and it inked a preliminary agreement in 2017 with U.S. bourse operator Nasdaq Inc to explore an IPO. The Ho Chi Minh City-headquartered company's businesses include online games, payments, cloud services and Vietnam's most popular messaging app, Zalo. Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and Bank of America are underwriters of the IPO, according to the filing.

Persons: VNG, Morgan Stanley, VinFast, Seth Farbman, Yantoultra Ngui, Jacqueline Wong, Sonali Paul Organizations: VNG Corp, VNG Ltd, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, HK, Temasek, U.S . bourse, Nasdaq Inc, Citigroup, UBS, Bank of America, underwriters, U.S ., DoubleDragon Corp, Nasdaq, Carsome, New, VStock, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, United States, Vietnam, U.S, Singapore, Chi Minh City, U.S . Philippine, New York

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHANOI/SINGAPORE, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Thailand's second-biggest lender Kasikornbank (KBANK.BK) is in talks to buy consumer finance provider Home Credit Vietnam in a deal of up to $1 billion that would further its push to expand in Vietnam, two sources said. The Bangkok-based lender, also called KBank, hopes to become one of Vietnam's top 20 banks in terms of assets by 2027. It has total assets worth $119.7 billion, second only to Bangkok Bank (BBL.BK) in Thailand, Refinitiv data showed. KBank and Home Credit Group did not respond to Reuters' requests for comments. Home Credit Group is controlled by the Czech Republic's biggest investment group, PPF, which was founded by late billionaire Petr Kellner.

Persons: Athit, KBank, Petr Kellner, Phuong Nguyen, Kane Wu Organizations: Kasikorn, REUTERS, Rights, Home Credit Vietnam, Bangkok Bank, Stock Commercial Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui, Home, Home Credit, Home Credit Group, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Rights HANOI, SINGAPORE, Vietnam, Vietnam Prosperity, Asia, Netherlands, Czech, Hanoi, Singapore

A few hours before its Nasdaq debut, VinFast more than doubled its value in premarket trading involving less than 4% of its shares. Nikola now commands a market value of $1.4 billion, versus $13.9 billion before listing while Lucid has a current market value of $15.5 billion, versus $24 billion during its 2021 SPAC deal. It is still unclear how many of the company shares will trade on Tuesday and at what price. VinFast's founder, Vietnam's richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, pledged $2.5 billion in April to bolster the EV maker, including $1 billion from his personal fortune. He is the beneficial owner of 99% of the ordinary shares of the EV maker after the merger.

Persons: Mike Blake, Black Spade, Nikola Corp, Nikola, Lucid, Rivian, Pham Nhat Vuong, VinFast, Phuong Nguyen, Yantoultra, Jaiveer Singh, Francesco Guarascio Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Nasdaq, Nikola, Tesla Inc, Rivian Automotive Inc, VinFast, P Global Mobility, Investors, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, HANOI, Dealogic, North Carolina, Vietnam, United States

☆ Singapore Exchange revises IPO rules for life science firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A man wearing a protective face mask walks past the Singapore Exchange (SGX) which stays open during "circuit breaker" measures to curb coronavirus COVID-19) in central business district area in Singapore, April 7, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File PhotoSINGAPORE, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) (SGXL.SI) is amending its initial public offering (IPO) rules to clarify that life science companies seeking to list on its mainboard exchange do not need to be revenue-generating. The revision was based on a publication of a Listings Advisory Committee's decision on SGX's life sciences listing framework on Thursday. SGX introduced the life science listing framework in 2009, where it waived certain IPO requirements including profitability and revenue for life science companies. The rules under the life science listing framework were not adjusted to reflect 2012 amendments made to the mainboard listing criteria.

Persons: Edgar Su, SGX, Yantoultra, Jason Neely Organizations: Singapore Exchange, REUTERS, Singapore Exchange Ltd, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE

"The situation is already very bad for dollar-based funds to invest in China's tech sector. There isn't much room for things to get worse," said Beijing-based China Growth Capital partner Wayne Shiong. Biden's move will likely make China-focussed venture capital firms feel more urgency to raise yuan funds from Chinese investors, he said. In response to Biden's executive order, China's commerce ministry said it was "gravely concerned" and reserved the right to take countermeasures. But the executive order is barely going to do anything, and China escalating would risk turning a molehill into a mountain."

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, Weiheng Chen, Wilson Sonsini, Biden, Chen, Wayne Shiong, Biden's, Yuan, Pan, Trump, Derek Scissors, Kane Wu, Michael Martina, Roxanne Liu, Ziyi Tang, Yantoultra, Sumeet Chatterjee, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Reuters Graphics Reuters, China Growth Capital, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, TECH, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Analysts, American Enterprise Institute, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, Beijing, Washington, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bengaluru

☆ Carlyle Group stake purchase values Quest Global at $2 bln, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Kane Wu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Quest Global investors Bain Capital and Advent International will exit in the transaction, while Quest Global will repurchase its own shares, Carlyle said in a statement. Ajit Prabhu, chairman and CEO of Quest Global, will acquire an additional stake, Carlyle said. Representatives for Bain Capital, Advent and Quest Global declined to comment on Quest Global's valuation in the deal. Established more than 25 years ago, Quest Global focuses on engineering, research and development services for the design, product development and operations of complex engineering systems. In 2016, Bain Capital and Advent, together with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte Ltd (GIC.UL), jointly bought a minority stake in Quest Global for $350 million.

Persons: Carlyle, Issei Kato, HONG KONG, Ajit Prabhu, GIC, Kane Wu, Yantoultra Ngui, Jason Neely, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Carlyle Group, Quest Global Services, Global, Quest Global, Bain Capital, Advent, Quest, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, HONG, Singapore, Asia, Hong Kong

The quarterly results from OCBC, also Southeast Asia's second largest lender by assets, rounded up a strong earnings season by Singapore banks as DBS Group (DBSM.SI) and United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) also delivered double-digit profit growth. Besides higher interest rates, Singapore lenders have also benefited from strong inflows from wealthy customers amid global uncertainty, including U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, because of the city-state's status as a financial safe-haven. Higher interest rates and slower economic growth could raise asset-quality risks for businesses and individual customers, he said, adding weak loan demand could negatively impact net interest income growth momentum once margin expansion peaks. OCBC said April-June net profit climbed to S$1.71 billion ($1.28 billion) from S$1.28 billion a year earlier mainly driven by better income growth and partly offset by higher allowances for non-impaired assets. The figure compared with a mean estimate of a S$1.76 billion profit from four analysts polled by Refinitiv.

Persons: ROE, Thilan Wickramasinghe, OCBC, NIM, Yantoultra Ngui, Tom Hogue, Shri Navaratnam, Jamie Freed Organizations: Chinese Banking Corp, DBS, United Overseas Bank, Maybank Securities, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Asia's, U.S, China, Malaysia

☆ Singapore bank OCBC second-quarter earnings rise; sees rate cuts from 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The quarterly results from OCBC, also Southeast Asia's second largest lender by assets, rounded up a strong earnings season by Singapore banks as DBS Group (DBSM.SI) and United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) also delivered double-digit profit growth. Besides higher interest rates, Singapore lenders have also benefited from strong inflows from wealthy customers amid global uncertainty, including U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, because of the city-state's status as a financial safe-haven. The figure compared with a mean estimate of a S$1.76 billion profit from four analysts polled by Refinitiv. The bank projected its full-year net interest margin, a key profitability gauge, to be above 2.2%, return on equity in the range of 14% and low-to-mid single-digit loan growth. ($1 = 1.3410 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Tom Hogue, Shri Navaratnam and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: ROE, Helen Wong, Thilan Wickramasinghe, OCBC, Wong, Yantoultra Ngui, Tom Hogue, Shri Navaratnam, Jamie Freed Organizations: Chinese Banking Corp, DBS, United Overseas Bank, Maybank Securities, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Asia's, U.S, China, Malaysia

A logo of DBS is pictured outside an office in Singapore January 5, 2016. DBS, which is also Southeast Asia's largest lender by assets, said April-June net profit hit a quarterly record high S$2.69 billion ($2.69 billion) compared to S$1.82 billion a year earlier. DBS' NIM, a key profitability gauge, rose for sixth consecutive quarter to 2.16% during the quarter from 1.58% a year earlier. Return on equity hit new quarterly high of 19.2%, up from 13.4% the same quarter a year ago. ($1 = 1.3411 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, NIM, Piyush Gupta, Gupta, Yantoultra Ngui, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Stephen Coates Organizations: DBS, REUTERS, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Hong Kong

The combined business comprises over 9,000 professionals in more than 50 jurisdictions, EQT said in a statement. BPEA EQT had tapped Goldman Sachs to be the lead adviser on the merger of the two companies, Reuters reported. Simon Webster, who joined Vistra as CEO in November 2022, will be the CEO of the combined business, EQT said. BPEA bought Tricor from private equity firm Permira in 2021 for $2.8 billion. EQT agreed last year to buy BPEA or Baring Private Equity Asia in a deal worth 6.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion), creating BPEA EQT.

Persons: EQT, BPEA, BPEA EQT, Goldman Sachs, Lazard, Simon Webster, Webster, Vistra, Tricor, Gokul, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, Barclays, HSBC, Vistra, Baring Private Equity Asia, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Vistra, Bengaluru, Yantoultra, Singapore

Its group chief investment officer Jeffrey Jaensubhakij told Reuters GIC was keen to invest in Chinese companies that do business within China and do not export to the United States. "There are some 'China for China' type of investments that still make sense," he said. GIC said exposure to China was important for a diversified portfolio. GIC is the world's seventh-biggest sovereign investor with $690 billion in total assets, according to research firm Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. The share of emerging market equities in GIC's portfolio rose to 17% by end of March from 16% a year earlier.

Persons: Jeffrey Jaensubhakij, Reuters GIC, GIC's, GIC, Lim Chow Kiat, Beijing scrambles, Ang Eng Seng, Jaensubhakij, GIC's Lim, Yantoultra Ngui, Xinghui, Xie Yu, Julie Zhu, Kane Wu, Christina Fincher Organizations: SINGAPORE, Reuters, HK, Ant Group, Temasek, Infrastructure, Sovereign Wealth Fund, Thomson Locations: China, Singapore, United States, Beijing, U.S, Asia, Japan, Xinghui Kok

SINGAPORE, July 11 (Reuters) - Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings (TEM.UL) on Tuesday posted a 5.2% drop in its net portfolio value to S$382 billion ($284.65 billion) in the financial year that ended in March. The drop in net portfolio value is its first since the 2019 financial year and came amid intensified global market volatility. Over the last decade, Temasek has grown its net portfolio value by 77.7% to S$382 billion from S$215 billion in 2013. Its portfolio value hit a record high of S$403 billion in the year ending in March 2022. Most of China's tech companies share prices have rallied since Friday on the hope that strict regulations that have stymied growth for more than two years would ease.

Persons: Chin Yee, Temasek, Rohit Sipahimalani, it's, Yantoultra Ngui, Xinghui, Robert Birsel Organizations: Temasek Holdings, Ant Group, Temasek, DBS, China Construction Bank, PSA International, Mapletree Investments, Ant, People's Bank of, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, China, Asia, Temasek, People's Bank of China

☆ What people are saying about Ant Group's $984 mln fine and share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 10 (Reuters) - China's Ant Group has announced a surprise share buyback that values the fintech giant at $78.5 billion, well below the $315 billion touted in an abandoned IPO in 2020, in a move that may let some investors exit. "And second, of course, we're talking about the share buyback plan. DICKIE WONG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT KINGSTON SECURITIES IN HONG KONG:"Their share prices have strongly rebound today mainly driven by the expectation that regulatory pressure from mainland government will ease. Ant Group is on the right track to achieve their final target of an IPO." According to the company, the reason for the buyback is providing liquidity to existing investors and attracting and retaining talented individuals through employee incentives.

Persons: GARY NG, KENNY NG, DICKIE WONG, SUMEET SINGH, Xie Yu, Yantoultra, Scott Murdoch, Anne Marie Roantree, Jamie Freed Organizations: Alibaba, HK, ASIA PACIFIC, CHINA, HONG, People's Bank of, Ant Group, KINGSTON, SINGAPORE WHO, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, People's Bank of China, SINGAPORE, COLOMBO, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney

The hectic pace of activity comes after private credit funds targeting Asia jumped 76% last year to a record $11.2 billion, driven by both regional and India-dedicated strategies, according to Global Private Capital Association. As large global sponsors continue to invest into multi-billion dollar Asia-focused credit funds such as Apollo, Blackstone and KKR, the Asian private credit industry is set for further boom, Robert Wright, partner in law firm Baker McKenzie, said. The string of new private credit funds come against the backdrop of startups facing the threat of having down rounds. Nevertheless, alternative financing such as private credit does not come cheap, industry experts warned. Private credit firms usually arrange loans, with assets secured, on a floating rate basis.

Persons: GPCA, Singapore's SeaTown, Europe's 21yield, Nicholas Mairone, Robert Wright, Baker McKenzie, SeaTown, Rakshat Kapoor, Camille Krejci, Parthiv Rishi, Sidley Austin, Siew Kam Boon, Yantoultra Ngui, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: Asia, SINGAPORE, Global Private Capital Association . Industry, Silicon Valley Bank, Blackstone, KKR, Reuters Graphics, Bain Capital, India's, Mahindra Bank, Hong Kong's ADM, SoftBank Investment Advisers, Reuters, Prosus NV, Thomson Locations: Asia, India, Singapore, United States, North America, Silicon, Pacific, Japan, Hong Kong

The shares are priced between S$7.202 and S$7.283 per share, the sheet shows, representing a 2.89% and 3.97% discount to the last close of S$7.50 on Wednesday. Temasek will continue to be a major shareholder in SIA with a 53.5% stake, according to Reuters' calculations. Citi is the sole bookrunner on the share sale, the term sheet showed. "We are committed to the long-term success of SIA and continue to maintain a majority stake in it," she added. ($1 = 1.3517 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Selena Li in Hong Kong and Yantoultra Ngui in Singapore, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Juliet Teo, Temasek's, Selena Li, Yantoultra, Louise Heavens Organizations: Temasek, Singapore Airlines, SIA, Reuters, Citi, Transportation & Logistics, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong

MAS imposed penalties of S$2.6 million ($1.93 million) for DBS, S$600,000 for OCBC, or Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp, S$400,000 for Citibank and S$200,000 for Swiss Life. Asked whether illicit activities had taken place involving the institutions, MAS said its checks focused on compliance with its requirements. DBS failed to adequately inquire into the background and purpose of "unusually large transactions", it said. A Swiss Life spokesperson said it had terminated a client relationship in 2020 after being approached by authorities about a contract. "Since then, and in close cooperation with the authorities, additional measures have been implemented within Swiss Life (Singapore) to detect client misconduct more effectively."

Persons: Wirecard, OCBC, Chen Lin, Yantoultra, Selina Li, Martin Petty, Conor Humphries Organizations: Citibank, DBS, Swiss, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Chinese Banking Corp, MAS, FIs, Singapore police, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore

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