Saturday, October 1, 2011

Carlyle Group's Asia Moves

Two Carlyle Group moves reveal their Asian intentions.  The first is Carlyle's acquisition of ITRS Group.  WatersTechnology reported ITRS chief executive Kevin Covington saying:

ITRS will continue to operate as a standalone business, as Carlyle does not plan to combine the vendor with other companies in its portfolio—including risk and regulatory compliance software vendor FRS Global and treasury and asset management software provider Trema—and will keep its management team intact.
Covington went on to identify what Carlyle brings to the table, other than designs on 30% annual returns:

One way that ITRS can benefit from the other companies among Carlyle’s investment portfolio is to leverage the expertise available in those companies—for example, by seeking input from those that have had experience with growing a business in Asia or by exchanging ideas with development staff at other companies, Covington says.
Carlyle has the connections to steer ITRS toward Wall Street's sweet spot, high frequency trading desks.  For Uncle Sam, unsure how to monitor dark pools and investment banking voodoo, Carlyle's Booz Allen Hamilton can help ITRS garner federal business. 

The second Asia play is India's Metro Hospitals.  Carlyle is in talks with Metro for a significant stake in the company, according to the Economic Times.  Here's why Carlyle's interested:

The $65-billion Indian healthcare industry is growing at over 15% and has attracted investments from local and overseas funds. The rise in disposable income, penetration of health insurance, lifestyle changes and increased government expenditure on healthcare are driving growth in the sector.
Carlyle owns hospital companies in Turkey, Australia and the U.S.  Add India's metro and Carlyle could soon be in the medical tourism business.