ASIA PRIVATE EQUITY WEEKLY NEWS, AUGUST 15, 2011

INDONESIA'S CENTRAL BANK has temporarily barred takeovers in the banking sector, citing upcoming ownership rules, sowing more uncertainty about the regulatory environment in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

GLOBAL PRIVATE EQUITY firm Lone Star has put a Tokyo property on sale aiming to raise up to 100 billion yen ($1.3 billion) before loans on the office and banquet hall complex mature early next year, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

HONG KONG-BASED investment group, First Eastern, is taking a stake in Camper & Nicholsons Marina Investments Ltd , and establishing a joint venture with it to develop marinas and property projects in China, according to a statement.

AUGUST 11

U.S. INVESTMENT BANK Goldman Sachs is very likely to invest around 600 billion won ($555 million) in South Korean private equity fund MBK Partners in its bid for Woori Finance Holdings , a source with direct knowledge of the proposed deal told Reuters.

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORP (IFC), a unit of the World Bank, said in an emailed response to Reuters it has fulfilled its role as a long-term investor in Bank of Shanghai, and is looking for a new partner to help growth in the Chinese lender.

TAISHIN FINANCIAL , which counts private equity firm Newbridge Capital as a major investor, said its president Lin Keh-hsiao had died in a fall while hiking on a mountain in Taiwan.

INTEL CAPITAL, the global investment arm of top chipmaker Intel Corp , said it will create a $300 million fund to invest in companies building hardware and software technologies for the new category of PCs known as Ultrabook.

AUGUST 10

PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS Carlyle and Unison Capital will sell part of their Japanese investment in wafer business Covalent Materials for $451 million as they seek to return cash to their investors.

INTERVIEW-Chinese companies Maple Leaf Educational Systems and clinical research outsourcing (CRO) firm GenScript, are seeking "windows of opportunity" to list in the U.S., as overseas IPOs by many Chinese firms have been delayed by negative market environment, a key investor in the firms said.

JAPAN'S ASAHI Group Holdings is in the final stage of negotiations to buy New Zealand beverages group Independent Liquor from private equity firms Unitas Capital and Pacific Equity Partners, two sources told Reuters.

GLOBAL LAW FIRM Kirkland & Ellis LLP said on Wednesday that it is hiring eight senior lawyers for its Hong Kong office to meet growing demand for M&A services in Asia.

AUGUST 9

BUYOUT FIRM TPG Capital , South Korea's Hankook Tire and Japan's Yokohama Rubber are among bidders for a controlling stake worth at least $200 million in Indonesian tyre maker PT Multistrada Arah Sarana , three sources told Reuters.

AUGUST 8

CHINA INVESTMENT CORP is to buy a stake in GDF Suez's gas exploration and production unit and to finance the French utility's expansion in power-thirsty Asia, sources said.

BAIN CAPITAL and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co are among potential bidders for Australian software company MYOB Ltd, an asset which could be sold for around A$1 billion ($1 billion), three sources familiar with the matter said.

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK's private equity arm is scouting for more deals in Saudi Arabiaafter buying a minority stake in a Saudi Binladin Group unit for $75 million.

IFC said it will invest $15 million into Hyderabad biomass power firm Shalivahana Green Energy's expansion plans. (Compiled by Stephen Aldred; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)