Latest news with #MidYearReport
Entrepreneur
4 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Strong Exits and Deal Values Signal Maturing PE Market In India
India's private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investment landscape in 2025 reflects a market navigating both macroeconomic headwinds and sectoral realignments: In the first half of the year, PE/VC investments totaled USD 26.4 billion across 593 deals, according to the latest data from the EY-IVCA Mid-Year Report. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. India's private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) investment landscape in 2025 reflects a market navigating both macroeconomic headwinds and sectoral realignments: In the first half of the year, PE/VC investments totaled USD 26.4 billion across 593 deals, according to the latest data from the EY-IVCA Mid-Year Report. This marks an 11 per cent increase from the second half of 2024, at USD 23.8 billion, although it represents a 19 per cent year-on-year decline from the first half of 2024, which saw investments of USD 32.4 billion. The composition of these investments reveals significant shifts. Pure-play PE/VC investments amounted to USD 18.3 billion, down slightly from USD 18.9 billion in the year-ago period. However, real estate and infrastructure investments declined more dramatically, by nearly 40 per cent, to reach just USD 8.1 billion. This trend highlights a shift in investor interest away from asset-heavy sectors toward technology, financial services, and emerging growth areas. Emerging markets like India are entering a pivotal growth phase, prompting private equity firms to rethink their strategies with a sharper operational lens, according to Vishal Seth, Managing Director, Protiviti Member Firm for India. "Over the next 3–5 years, we can envisage a decisive shift of PE firms from only 'financial support' to 'active value creation', through involvement with initiatives across Operational optimization, such as digital transformation, strengthening of governance & Strategy execution, such as platform consolidation," said Seth. "This shift reflects a broader evolution in private equity investing, particularly in high-potential markets like India, where macroeconomic momentum is converging with micro-level transformation. Rising middle-class consumption, progressive policy reforms, and a thriving startup ecosystem are creating fertile ground for innovation-led growth across sectors such as healthcare, tech services, green energy, and advanced manufacturing," added Seth. A survey conducted by law firm Khaitan & Co further emphasized India's appeal, noting that despite global PE slowdowns, foreign capital remained strongly committed to the Indian market. Foreign funds accounted for the majority of large-ticket investments, particularly in sectors such as IT services, SaaS, financial inclusion, and consumer tech. According to Khaitan, India is increasingly viewed as a strategic bet by global fund managers looking to hedge against China-related exposure and currency volatility in other emerging markets. "This shift reflects a broader evolution in private equity investing, particularly in high-potential markets like India, where macroeconomic momentum is converging with micro-level transformation. Rising middle-class consumption, progressive policy reforms, and a thriving startup ecosystem are creating fertile ground for innovation-led growth across sectors such as healthcare, tech services, green energy, and advanced manufacturing," said Seth. Adding to the trend, LeapFrog, an impact-focused private equity investor operating across emerging markets in Africa and Asia, recently announced a successful exit from Fincare, now known as AU Bank. According to the firm, the exit marked a return of over 3.3x in rupees for LeapFrog's Fund II. Over the investment period, Fincare's assets under management (AUM) grew to more than INR 143 billion (USD 1.7 billion), and its profitability increased 5.3x to more than INR 4 billion (USD 47 million) as of the merger date. Pranav Kumar, Partner at LeapFrog Investments, said, "India's deep capital markets provided a number of exit opportunities, but ultimately the merger with AU Bank and consequent on-market sale was the best result for Fund II."
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
$1 million homes account for 10 per cent of Ottawa's homes sold so far in 2025: report
A new home is displayed for sale, in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Ottawa's luxury real estate market heated up in the first six months of 2025, with sales of million-dollar homes increasing 31 per cent this year. Engel & Völkers released its 2025 Mid-Year Canadian Luxury Real Estate Market Report on Wednesday, showing 864 homes and condominiums were sold for over $1 million in the January to June period. 'In the first half of 2025, Ottawa's residential real estate market demonstrated signs of renewed strength following a tepid start to the year,' the report says. 'Market activity accelerated significantly in May, coinciding with a post-election boost in buyer confidence.' The report shows properties selling for between $1 million and $1.99 million accounted for 10.8 per cent of all real estate transactions in the first half of 2025, up from 8.6 per cent in 2024. A total of 780 homes and 23 condominiums sold for between $1 million and $1.99 million in the January to June period. Engel & Völkers says residential properties in the $1 million to $1.99 million price range saw a modest 2.2 per cent increase in average sale price year-to-date. 'Buyers remained cautious and increasingly price sensitive. Unlike the bidding wars of recent years, 2025 saw extended decision timelines and increased scrutiny of floor plans, renovation needs and neighbourhood trends,' the report says. 'Advisors noted a shift toward what they are calling 'micro-bursts,' pockets of intense activity in high-demand areas, where property valued, well-located homes attracted multiple offers.' In the $2 million to $3.99 million range, the report shows sales jumped 73.5 per cent in the first six months of 2025 compared to 2024. Prices peaked in April, with 20 homes selling for just under $3 million. One home sold for more than $4 million in the first six months of the year, with the sale price of $4.62 million in May. Engel & Völkers says the Ottawa real estate market 'took off in the second week of May,' shortly after the federal election. 'With the spring market seemingly delayed this year due to the threat of tariffs and the election, it is expected that the spring market will continue into July this year,' the report said.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart Shareholders Fail Racial Equity Audit Proposal for a Third Time
The third time was not the charm for United for Respect Education Fund. The non-profit filed a shareholder proposal asking Walmart to undergo a third-party, independent racial equity audit focused on analyzing the company's impact on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Per the proposal, once completed, Walmart should share the results publicly on its website. More from Sourcing Journal Walmart to Bring Drone Delivery to Five Additional Cities Trump Lashes Out at Walmart, Says Retailer Should 'Eat the Tariffs' Walmart US Nearly Doubled Deliveries Made in Three Hours or Less 'Given its worker demographics and scale, we request Walmart assess its behavior through a racial equity lens to obtain a complete picture of how it contributes to, and could help dismantle, social and economic inequality,' the filers wrote in their proposal. 'A racial equity audit would help Walmart identify, remedy and avoid adverse impacts on nonwhite stakeholders, communities of color and long-term diversified shareholders. Failure to effectively address inequities in its operations exposes stakeholders, including employees, to unacceptable abuses and exposes Walmart to risks that may ultimately affect shareholder long-term value.' According to Walmart's 2024 Mid-Year Belonging Report, people of color make up 51 percent of its U.S. workforce. United for Respect Education Fund filed similar proposals in 2023 and 2024. But this time around, part of the importance for the group and its co-filers was the fact that Walmart, like several other major companies, announced late last year that it would roll back some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in favor of a theme of 'belonging.' Ultimately, the filers' argument proved unsuccessful in swaying shareholders' minds. In 2023, the proposal garnered 18.1 percent of shareholder votes; in 2024, that proportion declined to 15.4 percent. This year, the proposal received 6.9 percent of shareholder votes, according to a vote result announcement from Walmart's Thursday shareholder meeting. That's down 8.5 percentage points from last year. Like in previous years, Walmart recommended shareholders vote against the proposal. 'The Board recommends shareholders vote against these proposals because we already disclose substantial information on our people strategies, providing information about our business rationale, key metrics, progress, Board oversight and approach to continuous improvement based on stakeholder feedback and results,' the company published in its 2025 proxy statement. Ahead of the vote, Bianca Agustin, co-executive director of United for Respect, told Sourcing Journal that the organization had hoped to see at least the same percentage of shareholder votes headed their way as last year. She had also hoped that the proposal would garner one-fifth of all shareholder votes, since many proxy advisers recommend a company open formal dialogue with shareholders proposing a change if their proposition receives at least 20 percent of the total vote. Ultimately, the filers saw neither of those outcomes come to fruition this year. Nonetheless, Agustin said she hoped the proposal would bring attention to Walmart's DEI-related decisioning in recent months. 'We [wanted] to basically give a referendum on Walmart's really, really opaque decision to roll back the DEI initiatives,' she told Sourcing Journal. 'We [wanted] to send a strong message to the company that stakeholders do not agree with their decision, and that…they have a responsibility to lead in this moment of political turmoil and division. Given the demographic of their workforce and the communities they operate in, that responsibility is enhanced for Walmart.' TaNeka Hightower, a Tennessee resident who is currently on medical leave from her role at Walmart, supported the non-profit and its co-filers in re-filing the proposal this year. She said she believes a racial equity audit would help answer questions about pay equity and would provide insight into broader employee concerns about their ability to move up within the company, the treatment they receive from upper management and more. 'If we were to do a racial equity audit, it would really give an insight as to the disparity between Black and Brown workers in comparison to others,' Hightower told Sourcing Journal. 'The people up top that are the ones benefiting from all the profits, while the people that are actually doing the work to get the profits in the store aren't able to live.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
