Industry leaders convene at AVCJ Private Equity Forum 2024 in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Asian Venture Capital Journal (AVCJ), part of Mergermarket and the leading provider of private equity and venture capital intelligence in Asia, this week hosted its 37^th Annual AVCJ Private Equity Forum. The event saw a wide range of discussions among leading private equity and venture capital participants from around the world. Leading contributors included Matthew Michelini, Head of APAC, Apollo Global Management, Harvey Schwartz, CEO of Carlyle, and Jeffrey Perlman, CEO of Warburg Pincus.

The AVCJ Private Equity Forum brings together over 3,300 senior investors, advisors, and regulators from Asia and more than 50 geographies across the globe. The forum is a valuable opportunity to share insights and forge partnerships, at a time when the global private equity investment revival has yet to extend to Asia, according to Mergermarket data.

Yana Morris, Chief Content Officer, ION Analytics, said, "This is a crucial and fascinating time for the leaders in the private equity and venture capital industry globally. The wealth of experience and knowledge at this week's event is testament to the convening power of ION Analytics as a forum for exchanging the ideas, innovations, and insights that are crucial to the PE and VC community."

Day one focused on ESG. Sessions addressed issues such as the future of ESG engagement, how industry leaders are practically approaching climate adaption, and how Asian LPs' approaches to ESG compare to their global peers. Tim Burroughs, Managing Editor, Global Private Funds and AVCJ, reflected in the opening remarks on how industry ESG debates have progressed in recent years.

The second day's agenda featured the Private Equity Leaders, Venture Capital, and Limited Partners Summits. These summits included sessions on Asia's key areas for value creation and the potential pitfalls of an AI bubble: crucial topics given that most AI deals are targeted in China, according to Mergermarket data.

In the opening keynote, Jeffrey Perlman, CEO of Warburg Pincus, discussed implications of the changing macroeconomic conditions for the firm's investment strategy, and why its approach to Asia is extending from emerging to developed markets. "We find that investors want to play Asia in a more diversified way, and that has impacted how we construct our platform in the region. We've already done this in real estate, where the business is truly pan-Asian, and there are opportunities for private equity to expand beyond emerging Asia on the back of that," he said. "Two-thirds of global growth is expected to come from Asia over the next decade."

The day also featured a fireside chat between Samson Wong, Chief Investment Officer for Private Markets at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Harvey Schwartz, CEO at Carlyle. Mr. Schwartz set out the firm's views on the current investment environment globally and in Asia and emphasized that "pricing risk correctly" is important for successful investing in today's complex environment. "We don't look to avoid risk," he said. "We certainly don't look to take excessive risk, but what we look to do is price the risk component correctly and determine whether or not we can add value to the enterprise." They also discussed how GP-LP partnerships have evolved, and the issues that will shape the next era for private markets.

The third day featured a keynote interview between Yana Morris, Chief Content Officer at ION Analytics, and Matthew Michelini, Head of APAC, Apollo Global Management. The pair held an insightful discussion about trends and opportunities in private markets and how the industry is evolving, offering an in-depth vision for future growth amid changing industry dynamics.

"At Apollo, we have positioned our business in front of massive tailwinds and we continue to build and evolve our capabilities to serve these market opportunities. In Asia in particular, there's significant demand for safe-yielding strategies across mature markets like Japan, Australia and Korea, and opportunities to partner with insurers and institutions in the region on retirement solutions," said Mr. Michelini.

To download key Mergermarket data around private dealmaking in Asia, view a summary of the conference, and to register for future events, please visit the Mergermarket website.

About ION

ION provides mission-critical trading and workflow automation software, high-value analytics and insights, and strategic consulting to financial institutions, central banks, governments, and corporate organizations. Our solutions and services simplify complex processes, boost efficiency, and enable better decision-making. We build long-term partnerships with our clients, helping transform their businesses for sustained success through continuous innovation. For more information, visit https://iongroup.com/

About ION Analytics

ION Analytics delivers personalized, targeted data and market intelligence to banks, investors, and corporates, helping clients find opportunities and drive better decisions in markets ranging from equities and fixed income to infrastructure and private equity. For more information, visit https://iongroup.com/analytics/

About Mergermarket

Mergermarket is the premier provider of global proprietary M&A intelligence, data, and AI-driven predictive analytics. With access to coverage of 1.4 million companies, almost 3,000 sponsors, and powered by 300 journalists and analysts globally, we bring transformative M&A insight and a competitive edge to capital markets professionals, shaping the future of M&A. For more information, visit https://info.mergermarket.com/

About AVCJ

AVCJ, a service of ION Analytics, is the leading provider of Asian private equity and venture capital information and intelligence. For more than 30 years, Asia's deal-making industry has relied on AVCJ's insightful editorial coverage, reliable data, intelligent analysis, and market-leading conferences to conduct their day-to-day business from deal sourcing, and due diligence to fundraising and exits. For more information, visit https://www.avcj.com/

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