Coller Capital expands in South-east Asia’s private equity secondary market with Singapore office – The Business Times

LONDON-headquartered Coller Capital, one of the largest global investors in the private equity (PE) secondary market, is setting up an office in Singapore amid growing demand from institutional and private wealth investors in South-east Asia.

It said on Tuesday (Jan 21) that Peter Wu has joined as head of product management, private wealth, to be based in Singapore. The company has also recruited two local investor relations employees for the office.

Secondary PE deals are those in which existing investors sell their stakes to new investors. They also refer to sales of a company stake to a new fund arranged by a PE firm.

“The market for Asia-Pacific private capital is rapidly maturing with rising market volumes…Opening the Singapore office extends our commitment to the region,” said Jeremy Coller, chief investment officer and managing partner of Coller Capital.

PE managers are seeing rising interest from Asian investors. The Business Times understands that Asian investors comprised more than one-fifth of those who took part in the world’s largest secondary PE fundraising of US$30 billion by French group Ardian.

Coller Capital’s Singapore office is the fifth location in Asia-Pacific alongside Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul and Melbourne for the PE. Opened in 2012, the Hong Kong office serves as the PE manager’s for the region. The PE firm has US$36 billion under management.