Deal activity in Asia-Pacific (APAC) is continuing to flourish in 1Q25 following a strong performance in 2024.

Hotspots are spread throughout the region, including Australia, China, Japan and South Korea, with sponsors doing much of the heavy lifting.

An example of a large sponsor-backed take-private deal came at the beginning of the year. Sun Art Retail [HKG:6808], a China-based hypermarket operator, announced that DCP Capital Partners had agreed to buy 78.70% of its shares for HKD 10.36bn (USD 1.33bn) with the intention of delisting it.

Yiqing Wang, Mergermarket’s Managing Editor for APAC, joins Dealcast host Julie-Anna Needham to discuss why the overall mood is optimistic, despite the risks of a new trade war.

• When could DeepSeek, the low-cost artificial intelligence (AI) player, seek financing?
• Has Nippon Steel [TYO:5401] thrown in the towel in its battle to buy US Steel [NYSE:X] yet?
• What are the latest developments in the takeover battle for Fuji Soft [TYO:9749]?

All this and more in this week’s Dealcast.