The Indian private equity venture of Fidelity International Ltd. has invested $13.5 million in Transpole Logistics Pvt. Ltd., a New Delhi-based company. Fidelity wants to take advantage of the rapid growth of the logistics business as India's economy expands. The move comes about a fortnight after private equity firm Warburg Pincus India Pvt. Ltd. invested $100 million in Chennai-based Continental Warehousing Corp. (Nhava Seva) Ltd., a unit of the NDR Group. Warburg Pincus India has deployed $2.5 billion in the country. Fidelity Growth Partners India has invested in Transpole through an instrument that can be converted into equity at a later date, said Sandeep Upadhyay, who heads the infrastructure and logistics team at Centrum Capital Ltd., which was the financial adviser to Transpole on the deal. […]

Oman Investment Fund (OIF), a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) owned by the Omani government, may buy close to 5% in upcoming Universal Commodity Exchange (UCX), making it the first investment by an SWF in a local commodity bourse and reflecting the growing interest of foreign investors in India's nascent commodity futures market. The deal, if completed, will value the yet-to-be-launched UCX at Rs 400-500 crore, around 30% lower than that of NCDEX, India's second-largest commodity exchange (commex), promoted by Delhi-based broker Jaypee Capital Services and leading sugar refiner Shree Renuka Sugars . “OIF has completed the due diligence process and will bring the money in shortly,” said a person with knowledge of the development. “There seemed to have been some differences over valuation but these have been sorted out with each UCX share likely to change hands at a premium of Rs 30-40 to the face value of Rs 10, or Rs 20-25 crore,” he added. […]