VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Japanese insurance firm Sompo Japan Insurance Inc will acquire private British company Canopius in a deal valued at $970 million to expand its overseas operations, according to a report.

Asia Pacific Stock Exchange (APX), a new bourse that aims to lure Chinese firms, has received final approval from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to start operating.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia Ltd plans to sell down its 8.6% stake in Kiwi Income Property Trust, which is worth NZ$95.7 million based on its last trading price.

Insurance Australia Group Ltd (IAG) bought the Australian and New Zealand underwriting business of Western Australia's farmers' cooperative Wesfarmers Ltd for $1.845 billion.

Australia-based oil explorer Senex Energy Ltd has made a preliminary offer to buy and merge with AWE Ltd, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

US-based professional technical services provider Jacobs Engineering Group Inc announced the completion of its merger with Australia-based firm Sinclair Knight Merz in a deal valued at AU$1.3 billion.

Saputo Inc., Canada's biggest dairy company, has extended its bid for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Co. by a week to next Friday. Saputo is up against Murray Goulburn Co-operative Co. Ltd. and Bega Cheese Ltd. for the Australian dairy firm, according to a Reuters report.

In its first acquisition after going public, Australia-based insurance brokering network Steadfast Group Limited has bought a 60% stake in underwriting agency Protecsure Pty Limited.

Switzerland's biggest bank, UBS AG, will be entering the property market in Australia through a joint venture with local developer Grocon Pty, a Bloomberg report said.

Investment banks Macquarie Group and UBS AG managed to raise $521.2 million in Australian insurer Cover-More's listing. Shares offered are priced at $2 per share and will start trading before the year ends.

Australia-based dairy firm Bega Cheese's offered to merge with Murray Goulburn to to preserve the Australian ownership of Warrnambool Cheese and Butter (WCB), amid a three-way bidding contest with Saputo for WCB.

Australia's Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has granted approval of the Chinese company Yanzhou Coal's takeover of Australian mining firm Yancoal Australia, just two weeks after he rejected a foreign buyout bid for GrainCorp.

Hours after announcing the departure of chief executive Dan Akerson, the Holden unit of General Motors Co announced its decision to halt its auto making operations in Australia by 2017.

Gold miner Centamin Plc has announced a USD40.9 million takeover offer for Perth-based mining firm Ampella Mining Ltd, in a deal that values Ampella shares at USD0.16 apiece.

Australia-based taxi app ingogo has raised an additional AUD3.4 million in venture capital funding and expressed plans for a 2014 listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).