logo
Apollo wins bid to manage Singapore's $1 billion private credit fund

Apollo wins bid to manage Singapore's $1 billion private credit fund

Straits Times2 days ago
Find out what's new on ST website and app.
The Private Credit Growth Fund, first introduced in February's Budget speech, targets financing for local high growth enterprises.
SINGAPORE - Apollo Global Management won the mandate to manage Singapore's $1 billion private credit fund targeting financing for local high growth enterprises, according to a government portal for procurement website.
The Ministry for Trade and Industry and Enterprise Singapore in March introduced the Private Credit Growth Fund, which aims to provide non-dilutive customised financing for high-growth local enterprises, according to a statement then. It will announce more details about the fund by the third quarter of 2025, the statement said.
The Private Credit Growth Fund, first introduced in the Singapore government's Budget speech in February, is among Singapore's initiatives as it seeks to boost its presence in the burgeoning US$1.7 trillion (S$2.2 trillion) private debt space.
This follows the Monetary of Authority of Singapore's initiative from March, when it had sought public feedback on a proposed regulatory framework targeting the asset class. The framework aims to grant retail investors access to the private market with proper safeguards in place.
Adding onto the city state's private market ambitions, Singapore's state investment company Temasek in December said it had set up a private credit platform with an initial portfolio of about $10 billion, consisting of direct investments and credit funds.
Meanwhile, Temasek's unit SeaTown Holdings International in 2024 raised US$1.3 billion for its second private credit fund. The firm actively lends to companies across Asia Pacific, such as to Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup JSC's units Vincom Retail JSC and Vinfast Auto. BLOOMBERG
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Western aid cuts cede ground to China in South-east Asia: Study
Western aid cuts cede ground to China in South-east Asia: Study

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Western aid cuts cede ground to China in South-east Asia: Study

Find out what's new on ST website and app. US President Donald Trump has halted about US$60 billion in development assistance – most of the US' overseas aid programme. SYDNEY - China is set to expand its influence over South-east Asia's development as the Trump administration and other Western donors slash aid, a study by an Australian think-tank said on July 20. The region is in an 'uncertain moment', facing cuts in official development finance from the West as well as 'especially punitive' US trade tariffs, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said. 'Declining Western aid risks ceding a greater role to China, though other Asian donors will also gain in importance,' it said. Total official development finance to South-east Asia – including grants, low-rate loans and other loans – grew 'modestly' to US$29 billion (S$37 billion) in 2023, the annual report said. But US President Donald Trump has since halted about US$60 billion in development assistance – most of the United States' overseas aid programme. Seven European countries – including France and Germany – and the European Union have announced US$17.2 billion in aid cuts to be implemented between 2025 and 2029, it said. And the United Kingdom has said it is reducing annual aid by US$7.6 billion, redirecting government money towards defence. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore 2-in-1 airport police robot on trial can patrol and serve as PMD with ride-hailing feature Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Singapore Minor Issues: Why I didn't send my daughters to my brand-name primary school Based on recent announcements, overall official development finance to South-east Asia will fall by more than US$2 billion by 2026, the study projected. 'These cuts will hit South-east Asia hard,' it said. 'Poorer countries and social sector priorities such as health, education, and civil society support that rely on bilateral aid funding are likely to lose out the most.' Higher-income countries already capture most of the region's official development finance, said the institute's South-east Asia Aid Map report. Poorer countries such as East Timor, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are being left behind, creating a deepening divide that could undermine long-term stability, equity and resilience, it warned. Despite substantial economic development across most of South-east Asia, around 86 million people still live on less than US$3.65 a day, it said. 'Global concern' 'The centre of gravity in South-east Asia's development finance landscape looks set to drift East, notably to Beijing but also Tokyo and Seoul,' the study said. As trade ties with the United States have weakened, South-east Asian countries' development options could shrink, it said, leaving them with less leverage to negotiate favourable terms with Beijing. 'China's relative importance as a development actor in the region will rise as Western development support recedes,' it said. Beijing's development finance to the region rose by US$1.6 billion to US$4.9 billion in 2023 – mostly through big infrastructure projects such as rail links in Indonesia and Malaysia, the report said. At the same time, China's infrastructure commitments to South-east Asia surged fourfold to almost US$10 billion, largely due to the revival of the Kyaukphyu Deep Sea Port project in Myanmar. By contrast, Western alternative infrastructure projects had failed to materialise in recent years, the study said. 'Similarly, Western promises to support the region's clean energy transition have yet to translate into more projects on the ground – of global concern given coal-dependent South-east Asia is a major source of rapidly growing carbon emissions.' AFP

Chinese mega listings catapult Hong Kong to top spot in global markets for IPOs in H1 2025
Chinese mega listings catapult Hong Kong to top spot in global markets for IPOs in H1 2025

Business Times

timean hour ago

  • Business Times

Chinese mega listings catapult Hong Kong to top spot in global markets for IPOs in H1 2025

[HONG KONG] A parade of China's mega listings in Hong Kong since the turn of the year has helped restore some of the shine to the city as the world's largest fundraising destination for initial public offerings (IPOs). A significantly large number of Chinese firms seeking stock listings in Hong Kong, along with a rush of capital inflows from the mainland, has created a convergence of Chinese finance in the city. Fundraising in Hong Kong through IPOs reached HK$107.1 billion (S$17.5 billion) from 44 listings in the first six months of the year, far surpassing both the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), according to data from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX). This sent HKEX to the top of global exchanges for H1 2025, representing its best mid-year performance sine 2016. A spokesperson for the exchange, citing confirmation from several data providers including Dealogic, KPMG and EY, told The Business Times that its IPO fundraising in H1 put it at the top of global IPO rankings. The top listing on HKEX during this period was the US$5.3 billion IPO of China's largest battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology in May. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up This was followed by the HK$9.9 billion raised by Chinese drugmaker Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, which also took place in May, and the HK$9.4 billion IPO in June staged by China's largest condiment maker, Foshan Haitian Flavouring & Food. Hong Kong has long been in an intense tussle with Shanghai for the title of being China's primary funding source, and it seems that Hong Kong has the upper hand for now. As at Jul 8, Dealogic's team counted 184 planned IPOs in Hong Kong, all of which were from the city and the mainland, with the exception of two from the Cayman Islands, and one each from Malaysia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Of the planned IPOs, 49 belong to the technology sector. Perris Lee, head of convertible bonds and Asia-Pacific equity capital markets at Ion Analytics, the parent company of Dealogic, said: 'At this point, we can say with much certainty that technology stocks will be central to many of the Hong Kong IPOs in the queue, thanks in no small part to (Chinese artificial intelligence company) DeepSeek.' He attributes the recent strong rally in Hong Kong stocks to a Deepseek-inspired optimism that may also spill over to industries such as healthcare and consumer-related businesses. The hectic pace of fundraising is also supported by what analysts call 'homecoming' listings by mainland Chinese companies with stocks already listed elsewhere outside the mainland, primarily in the US. Lee said that, given a US-China relationship that has been 'polite' at best in recent years, there have been many such homecoming listings in Hong Kong and China by US-listed Chinese companies. 'Many of the US-listed companies that should or could seek a secondary listing have done so,' he said. 'Only a few remain on the drawing board.' In particular, he named technology giant Alibaba and electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng. 'These two deals were significant in many ways. One key aspect is that they were doing a dual primary listing in Hong Kong, rather than a secondary listing. Dual primary listings subject the companies to strict regulations in both the US and Hong Kong.' The immediate prospects are brightened by a long listing pipeline stretching well into the coming year. HKEX said it had given regulatory approval to 16 companies, with the applications of 176 companies currently 'under processing' as at Jun 30. Against this background, analysts said there is a far greater cascading of southbound net capital inflows into Hong Kong's stock market. James Wang, head of China strategy at investment bank UBS Global Research, said the total amount raised this year in IPOs was dwarfed when compared with its peak reached in 2020, as well as with the unprecedented southbound net inflows this year. In the first quarter alone, these hit HK$400 billion, the highest in history. Wang attributed this to the improved quality and vintage of companies listed in Hong Kong, tighter IPO restrictions in mainland China, improved liquidity in Hong Kong and a greater appetite for core Chinese assets from foreign investors for stocks such as EV car leader BYD, Tencent and Alibaba – basically global champions and top AI players. Southbound net inflows reached US$80 billion at the end of May, according to a chart released by Morgan Stanley. However, the pace had slowed down in that month, following a period of strong inflows from January to late April. To put things into perspective, a survey released in June by Deloitte China's Capital Market Services Group showed the IPO funds raised in Hong Kong this year exceeded those raised by Nasdaq and the NYSE by HK$31 billion and HK$43 billion, respectively. Of the 40 listings tracked by Deloitte in Hong Kong in H1, only two IPOs were staged by companies from outside China: one from Singapore and the other from Indonesia. 'National support for and emphasis on developing the technology and innovative sectors will encourage new quality productivity forces such as technology and new energy companies to raise funds in the capital market and enter the market spotlight in the second half of 2025,' said Tony Huang, national A-Share offering leader, capital market services group, Deloitte China. Deloitte expects companies to raise HK$200 billion in IPOs in Hong Kong by the end of the year, through 80 listings. There are potentially 25 IPOs from companies already listed on the mainland's A-shares market. Deloitte said that most of Hong Kong's new listings will come from the technology, media and telecommunications sectors, as well as consumer companies.

Tokenize Xchange to exit Singapore after being denied digital payment token licence
Tokenize Xchange to exit Singapore after being denied digital payment token licence

Business Times

time2 hours ago

  • Business Times

Tokenize Xchange to exit Singapore after being denied digital payment token licence

[SINGAPORE] Cryptocurrency exchange Tokenize Xchange will cease its Singapore operations from Sep 30. This comes after the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) decided not to grant the company a licence to offer digital payment token services, said the Singapore-based digital exchange platform on Sunday (Jul 20). All 15 employees of Tokenize Singapore will be laid off by Sep 30. However, some may be offered work in the company's international operations, said Tokenize Xchange in response to queries from The Business Times. It declined to comment on why the company was denied a licence by the MAS. The exchange is relocating to Labuan, and seeking to obtain a licence from the Labuan Financial Services Authority. It is also currently in the midst of acquiring a company that holds a digital financial services licence issued by the Labuan Financial Services Authority. The deal is expected to close by Sep 30. It will also seek regulatory approval from Abu Dhabi Global Market, a financial zone located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Hong Qi Yu, chief executive and founder of Tokenize Xchange, said: 'While we regret this outcome in Singapore, we view this development as an opportunity to fortify our international operations.' Tokenize Xchange's exit comes just over a year after raising US$11.5 million in funding and announcing plans to expand its Singapore team to 100 staff. The expansion was said to help the company adapt to complex regulatory frameworks across South-east Asia. It was previously operating under an exemption in Singapore. It was among the first three digital asset exchange operators to receive full approval from the Securities Commission Malaysia in April 2020, and is Malaysia's second-largest digital asset exchange. Founded in 2017, Tokenize has operations in key Asian markets including Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, serving both individual and institutional investors.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store