S'pore is SEA's most active private equity market in 2013

SINGAPORE has emerged as the most active private equity market in South-east Asia (SEA) in 2013, led by a boom in Internet-related, healthcare and services deals, a latest Bain & Company report revealed.

Deal value in the Republic more than trebled from US$0.9 billion in 2012 to US$3 billion, contributing 60 per cent to the region's US$5 billion deal value in 2013.

"SEA saw a notable surge in early stage and startup deals; these rose by 292 per cent year-on-year in deal value and averaged US$76 million in deal size," Suvir Varma, a partner at Bain & Company, told The Business Times.