Singapore state-investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd. is seeking to raise up to US$1.34 billion through the sale of shares in Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., part of a broader effort by the sovereign wealth fund to shift its investments toward emerging markets.
Temasek, the world’s ninth-largest state investment firm, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, has been expanding its footprint in China and shelling out for energy and resources assets, and away from Singapore and mature-market financial services. It also wants to book gains from its previous investments………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The rekindling of the idea that Temasek, the Singapore sovereign wealth fund, may be looking to dispose of its 18% holding in Standard Chartered is sure to reawaken speculation over who could carry out a potential takeover of the emerging markets-focused bank. However, there is one sizeable issue: a lack of natural buyers.
The Financial Times this morning reported that Temasek had sounded out potential buyers for its shares in Standard Chartered, though it added that there were no live discussions with any potential buyers………………………………………..Full Article: Source

It was perhaps somewhere under the flashing lights and fireworks of the Singapore F1 Grand Prix last weekend that a hushed conversation about the fate of emerging-markets bank Standard Chartered took place. But maybe the conversation wasn’t quite hushed enough. It’s emerged that Singapore’s state-owned investment fund Temasek has started talking to buyers about selling its £6 billion, 18% stake in the FTSE 100 bank.
It could herald more than just a stake-sale. Cormac Leech, banking analyst at Liberum Capital, reckons Standard Chartered, whose logoed-skyscraper looms large over Singapore city centre, might have a takeover on its own horizon………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Investors need clarity on Canada’s foreign takeover rules, said Felix Chee, China Investment Corp.’s chief representative in Canada. Chee told a conference in Ottawa today that the lack of clarity on foreign investment rules benefits the Canadian government. Canada is reviewing the $15.1 billion bid by Cnooc Ltd. for Nexen Inc. (NXY), a Calgary-based energy producer.
Chee said Cnooc’s 100 percent bid for Nexen makes approval more difficult. Canada reviews most foreign takeovers to make sure they provide a net benefit to the country………………………………………..Full Article: Source

China Investment Corp. (CIC) is mulling how to make the most of its recent acquisition of a minority stake in a leading European satellite operator. But whatever the move is, experts say, it’s unlikely to result in a technology transfer that China craves.
The company is now the third-largest shareholder of Eutelsat Communications SA. In June, it bought 7 percent of the world’s third-largest satellite operator for €385.2 million from Spanish infrastructure company Abertis, which still holds 8.35 percent of Eutelsat and is the second-largest shareholder………………………………………..Full Article: Source

One of China’s largest sovereign wealth funds is likely to increase its private equity and alternatives allocation to as much as 70% over the next decade and take a more strategic approach to investments, according to new research.
China Investment Corporation, which currently invests about a quarter of its portfolio in private equity and alternatives, is likely to raise that threshold significantly in the coming years, according to a report published on Tuesday by consultancy Z-Ben Advisors………………………………………..Full Article: Source

New Zealand Superannuation Fund has excluded four companies from its $19 billion investment portfolio, following severe breaches of its responsible investment standards. The firms that were excluded from the fund’s portfolio include Freeport-McMoRan, KBR, Tokyo Electric Power Company and Zijin Mining Group.
NZ Superannuation Fund said this decision were based on information from its specialist screening agency which identified where the companies had breached global standards of good corporate behaviour such as the UN Global Compact………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Revenue from the LNG project will be allocated to social and economic initiatives, according to the PNG LNG Quarterly Report. It said revenue generated from the project would go towards two funds created under the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) that would support economic and social initiatives and also stabilise fluctuations in revenue income from resource projects.
“The Papua New Guinea government is establishing a stabilisation fund and a development fund under the Organic Law on the Sovereign Wealth Fund that was passed by the Papua New Guinea parliament in February 2012,” the report said………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Providence Equity Partners Inc., the buyout firm with holdings in Univision Communications Inc. and the cable-television network of the New York Yankees, sold a minority stake to Florida’s state pension system and a sovereign-wealth fund, said a person with knowledge of the move.
Proceeds from the sale, which will give the two investors less than 10 percent in the company, will be used to expand the business, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the transaction was private………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat priced a 300 million ringgit ($97.7m) five-year sukuk on September 7 via Standard Chartered and CIMB Islamic. The murabaha-structured deal is the first by the AA2 (Ram) rated borrower in the ringgit market and has been issued off its three billion ringgit sukuk programme.
Mumtalakat went on investor meetings in the summer but held back from issuing because basis swaps were not favourable for Gulf borrowers at the time………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, gave the Federal Government and the 36 state governments more time to resolve the legal tussle which arose from the decision of the Federal Government to transfer the sum of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account to the recently created Sovereign Wealth Fund.
The apex court consequently fixed November 22 for reports of settlement. The 36 states of the federation had, through their counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, instituted a suit challenging the legality of the Federal Government’s action………………………………………..Full Article: Source

States are demanding a sweeping change in the way the Federal Government has been handling monies accruing to the central purse as part of their condition to drop their suit challenging the legality of the Excess Crude Account (ECA).
They have proposed new conditions to resolve the lingering dispute between them and the Federal Government over illegal deductions from the Federation Account………………………………………..Full Article: Source