Siddharth Poddar

The fund of funds is being launched to create an enviroment conducive for institutional investor participation in private equity and to provide investors with access.

The Nordic Bank has listed an infrastructure fund on the LSE to invest in India’s energy and transport sectors, and is close to completing its maiden investment in a hydroelectricity generator.

Dubai International Capital has hired David Smoot to expand its private equity operations in North America. He brings with him a wealth of experience in investment banking, from advisory mandates to principal investing.

Mauritius-based Frontline Strategy has made its maiden investment from the India Industrial Growth Fund in Shriram SEPL Composites, a pipe manufacturer.

Konzen Group, a Singaporean water firm, and AmInvestment Bank, a Malaysian bank, have launched a private equity fund to invest in water treatment and waste water management throughout China and Southeast Asia.

The firm has raised its first India-focused private equity fund to invest in the manufacturing, infrastructure services and consumer-driven sectors.

The two firms have launched a private equity infrastructure fund for making investments in the gas transportation, power generation and railways sectors in emerging markets globally.

Private equity investments showed an increase in the first five months of 2008 even as the value of all other M&A deals fell significantly.

The Hong Kong firm has backed Bangalore-based BioPlus Life Sciences with an investment of $31m from its third Asian fund.

Rapid economic growth and large pools of available capital are positive indicators for the industry, though a shortage of skilled investment professionals and restrictive foreign ownership regulations remain a concern.