By Kane Wu and Anshuman Daga
HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – U.S. private equity firm TPG Inc is set to reach first-close of its new Asia-focused fund at more than $3 billion, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
TPG kicked off fundraising of its eighth private equity fund for the region in January, targeting $6 billion, the company said during its March earnings call. If successful, the fund will be its largest Asia fund to date.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based firm is expected to announce the first-close in November, said one of the two sources and a third person with knowledge of the matter.
Private equity funds typically begin investing after their first-close, when they have received an initial round of commitments from investors.
All the sources declined to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media. TPG declined to comment.
TPG is among a slew of global and regional private equity firms that are raising new funds for the region this year.
Hong Kong-based Baring Private Equity Asia last week announced it had closed its eighth, and largest, pan-Asia fund at $11.2 billion.
TPG’s U.S rival Carlyle Group aims at raising $8.5 billion in a new Asia fund, according to separate people familiar with the situation. Carlyle declined to comment.
The first-close of the TPG fund will come against the backdrop of challenging global macroeconomic and geopolitical environment that has triggered a sharp sell-off in markets and a rise in financing costs.
In Asia, the total value of deals backed by private equity in 2022 up to Sept. 15 was $121.5 billion, plunging 41% from a year earlier, according to Refinitiv data.
The slowdown is more significant in China, with total deal value down 72% on 2021, as coronavirus-control measures in many parts of the country hurt the economy and prevent potential transactions going ahead.
TPG’s new Asia fund will have about 20% of its capital allocated to China investments, as did its previous last two funds, according to the third source.
TPG declined to comment on allocations of specific markets.
(Reporting by Kane Wu in Hong Kong and Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Editing by Louise Heavens and Bradley Perrett)
