Private equity investors with billions of dollars to spend are now keenly eyeing promising opportunities in key sectors across Southeast Asia, including healthcare and technology. This comes after such investments and other deal flows fell to a five-year low in 2023.
The region's growing population, increasing affluence and supportive regulatory policies have caught the attention of some of the biggest players in global finance.
An executive at the giant US investment firm KKR told The Straits Times that the company's investment activity in the region will be ramped up further in 2024.
"In South-east Asia, each country has its own unique qualities, but the long-term fundamentals that drive growth are the same," noted Mr Prashant Kumar, partner and head of KKR's South-east Asia private equity business.
"These include favourable demographic trends with a large, young and growing population, fast-growing middle class, increased urbanisation, technological disruption and a steady rise in domestic consumption." Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines with a combined population of around 530 million people are benefiting from these factors, resulting in attractive investment opportunities, he added.
"We will consider all sectors, including priority sectors such as technology, healthcare, consumption, and manufacturing and supply chain logistics," Mr Kumar said.
KKR's commitment to the region can also be seen in the recent successful closure of its US$6.4 billion (S$8.6 billion) KKR Asia Pacific Infrastructure Investors II fund - the largest of its kind in the region.
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