NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private equity firm Silver Lake Partners may boost its presence in Asia, as buyout firms flock to the region seeking investment opportunities in fast-growing economies.
The firm also sees opportunities in technology plays within the healthcare and financial services sectors.
"I would not be surprised if we have a physical presence in Asia in the not too distant future," Michael Bingle, managing director at the New York-based firm, told the Reuters Hedge Funds and Private Equity Summit in New York on Tuesday.
Recently, Silver Lake said it hired two former IBM executives as advisers in Japan and China. Bingle said the firm is exploring whether to expand the advisory push into opening a batch of Asian offices, adding that placing people in India was also a possibility.
But he cautioned that Asia constitutes "very large, and very different markets," and said that Silver Lake is still in the early stages of establishing its plan there.
Private equity and venture capital firms are looking beyond U.S. borders for deals, as competition within the country heats up and markets, particularly in Asia, expand and grow more attractive to investors seeking deals.
Especially in the technology sector, innovations are generally being made at a quicker pace outside of the United States, spurring the move to countries like China and India.
"The vast majority of our portfolio businesses have operations all over the world," Bingle said. "Our perspective is that the role of the U.S. in the global technology industry is waning."
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