The Weekly News Update is a weekly roundup of business news from around the Asia-Pacific region, covering Fusion Consulting's core industry practices: chemicals, consumer & retail, financial services, industrial & logistics, information & communication technology, life science and media & leisure. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.       Merging with the Mainland: China's M&A opportunities   M&A activity in China continues to surge, thanks to strong economic growth and  private equity activity. With regulatory changes in 2006, several sectors should see  further M&A action in 2007 and beyond. Find out where the opportunities lie.

Financial services

Asia - Private equity deals up in Q1 Source: Business Times Singapore, 14 April 2008 The Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) received 195 private equity deals in the first quarter of 2008, up from 183 deals in the same period in 2007. But Thomson Financial revealed that the sums invested have declined to US$1.67 billion from US$2.64 billion. In the first quarter of 2008, China led the pack in attracting US$571 million in private equity funding, while India came in a close second with US$507 million. But Taiwan and Vietnam stood out when it came to the rate of private equity investment growth in the Asia-Pacific. Vietnamese firms received US$36 million in the first quarter of 2008, a jump from US$1.9 million in the same period in 2007. Indonesia - Syariah-compliant products gets a boost from new law source: Business Times Singapore, 14 April 2008 Indonesia's parliament passed a new Syariah debt bill in early April 2008, paving the way for the government and corporate borrowers to tap the fast-growing market for Islamic financial products. By offering Syariah-compliant financial products, predominantly Muslim Indonesia hopes to attract more funding for essential infrastructure from wealthy Middle Eastern investors, as well as from local banks, funds and retail players. Thanks to the new law, banks such as HSBC Indonesia expects corporate demand for Syariah-compliant products to take off. In addition, Indonesia's economy has entered a period of higher growth and the country is taking the right steps to attract more foreign investment. Korea - Car insurance premiums surpass US$10.2 billion Source: Korea Herald, 14 April 2008 Korean car insurers' revenues broke the W10 trillion (US$10.2 billion) mark for the first time, during the fiscal year 2007. According to the insurance industry, local car insurers raked in an estimated W10.8 trillion (US$11 billion) during the fiscal year that ended on 31 March 2008. This is an increase of 11.8% over the W9.7 trillion (US$9.9 billion) recorded in the previous year. The increase has in part been fueled by the rise in the number of expensive imported vehicles being registered and the greater popularity of sport utility vehicles. The insurance premiums of these vehicles need to be raised in tandem with the increasingly expensive prices of vehicle.     View an example of our experience in this industry. Back to list of articles.  Visit our website to sign up for free intelligence on Asian markets.

This Weekly News Update is a free newsletter, providing a round-up of the week's Asia-Pacific news from our core industry practices. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.

Fusion Consulting is a business intelligence consultancy providing clear strategic advice on Asia-Pacific markets. With offices in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong and 400 industry consultants in 16 countries, we conduct custom research and consulting to help companies understand their markets, compete more effectively and grow into new areas of opportunity. Email more@fusionc.com or visit www.fusionc.com for more information.