Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Warburg Pincus to raise up to £1.16bn for first India-focused fund

PRIVATE equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC is looking to raise up to $1.5 billion or £1.16bn for its first fund targeting deals in India, two people familiar with the matter told, betting on a surge in investment opportunities in Asia's third-largest economy.

Warburg plans finish fundraising on its India-focussed fund, which will target industrial sectors such as financial, manufacturing and consumer, by the first half of next year, said one of the people.


Launches of India-focused private equity funds are rare, and big global buyout firms such as KKR & Co Inc, Bain Capital and Blackstone Group Inc typically invest in a country mainly from their regional funds.

Warburg declined to comment. The sources did not want to be identified as the firm's plans are not public yet.

Private equity investments are expected to pick up in India as some companies look to sell shares to fund growth, while some family-owned firms explore selling controlling stakes to pay off debt, bankers said.

Lower valuations, a rapidly growing middle class and reforms such as bankruptcy resolution rules are also enticing global private equity firms to invest in India.

Private equity-backed deals in India have risen to a record $16.8bn so far this year, rising up from the previous high of $12.4bn last year, according to data compiled by Refinitiv.

The news of Warburg's India fundraising plan comes as rival KKR is looking to raise a record $15bn in 2020 for its latest Asia-focussed buyout fund, which will include India investments.

Warburg has not finalised the size or launch timing of the fund, which depend on market conditions, said one of the people.

Warburg has a 21-person investment team in Mumbai, according to its website. It was Indian telecom company Bharti Airtel's first marquee investor in the early 1990s and has recently invested in its digital TV and African arms.

The private equity firm also holds stakes in local insurer IndiaFirst, retail real estate platform Virgo Retail Ventures, and education financing provider Avanse Financial Services, according to its website.

In June, the US-based firm closed a $4.25bn private equity fund focusing on Chinese and Southeast Asian investments after launching the exercise in January with a target to raise $3.5bn.

That fund, China-Southeast Asia II, will focus on investing across consumer and services, healthcare, real estate, financial services, and technology, media and telecommunications, Warburg had said in June.

(Reuters)

More For You

Jio Platforms

Jio Platforms includes India’s largest telecom operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm, with more than 500 million users. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Jio IPO planned for mid-2026, AI unit announced with Meta and Google

RELIANCE Industries plans to take its telecom and digital arm, Jio Platforms, public by mid-2026, chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Friday. The announcement sets a new timeline for the long-awaited IPO of a business analysts value at over $100 billion.

At its annual general meeting (AGM), Reliance also announced the launch of an artificial intelligence unit in partnership with Google and Meta.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asda tech overhaul

Asda sales fell 0.2 per cent in the three months to June 30, 2025 (AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Asda boss hails tech overhaul as key to revival despite sales slump

THE chairman of Asda has admitted the supermarket chain still faces challenges after sales slipped again over the summer, but said the completion of a major IT overhaul was crucial for its recovery.

Allan Leighton told the Times that the long-delayed technology project, called Project Future, had finally been finished after years of setbacks and costs exceeding £1 billion. The work involved separating more than 2,500 systems inherited from former owner Walmart, following Asda’s 2021 takeover by TDR Capital.

Keep ReadingShow less
JLR-Getty

A logo is pictured outside a Jaguar Land Rover new car show room in Tonbridge, south east England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

UK car exports to US rebound after trade deal

UK VEHICLE exports to the United States rose in July after a new trade deal between London and Washington reduced tariffs, industry data showed on Thursday.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), exports increased 6.8 per cent in July to nearly 10,000 units, following three consecutive months of decline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Relatives of jailed Briton appeal to UK minister in AgustaWestland row

Christian Michel

Relatives of jailed Briton appeal to UK minister in AgustaWestland row

THE family of Christian Michel, the British businessman accused of acting as a middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal, has appealed to the UK government to push for his release from Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

Michel’s relatives met Foreign Office minister Catherine West in London on Tuesday (26). The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the minister listened to their concerns and updated them on ongoing steps being taken.

Keep ReadingShow less
Blackburn loses Issa empire as brothers move EG Group to US

Zuber and Mohsin Issa (Photo: LDRS)

Blackburn loses Issa empire as brothers move EG Group to US

ASIAN entrepreneurs Mohsin and Zuber Issa are moving the headquarters of their global forecourt company, EG Group, from Blackburn to the US in preparation for a major stock market listing in New York.

The firm confirmed that its main office will relocate to Charlotte, North Carolina, while a new base in Bolton, Greater Manchester, will handle its remaining UK operations, the Telegraph reported. The change brings an end to almost 25 years of the company being run from Blackburn.

Keep ReadingShow less