About MBK Partners
Established in 2005, MBK Partners is an independent private equity firm focused on building a prominent investment platform in Asia. Drawing on his global finance experience, Chairman and Founder Michael B. Kim sought to combine international investment expertise with local knowledge in Korean, Japanese and Chinese markets. Kim supports a hands-on approach to investing and governance through a culture of active ownership that remains central to the firm.
With more than 110 investment professionals, MBK Partners has become the largest private equity firm in North Asia, with over $33 billion in assets under management. MBK Partners has offices in Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. The firm is differentiated by its deep local network, enabling strong relationships, effective navigation of regulatory and cultural nuances, and the creation of cross-border synergies across its portfolio companies.
Investment Approach
The firm is known for control-oriented buyouts focused on value creation through close partnerships with management teams. This involves selecting companies for which the firm can offer useful contributions to strategy and governance. By engaging with North Asian markets, the firm builds deep relationships with corporations and stakeholders in these regions. MBK Partners also considers special situations where it can add value for investors and companies.
Buyouts
Buyouts are central to the MBK Partners investment strategy and include acquisitions of established, high-quality companies across North Asia. When the firm acquires management control of a new company, it can proactively direct its strategic path, governance and operations.
MBKP has a strong control orientation. The Firm focuses on selected levers, from operational improvements and capital structure optimization to synergistic add-on acquisitions, to maximize value creation and believes hands-on post-investment engagement is critical to delivering strong investment returns.
MBK Partners has successfully completed numerous buyouts across Korea, Japan and China, building a brand as a trusted partner and one of Asia’s most prominent private equity firms.
Special Situations
MBK Partners’ Special Situations strategy focuses on providing capital to North Asian companies with limited financial standing. This includes companies managing transitional periods, facing difficult economic conditions or experiencing market gaps. Using competitive knowledge of the Korean, Japanese and Chinese markets, MBK Partners sources and manages these complex opportunities across Asia.
Special Situations investments may be made across primary and secondary markets and at various stages of a company’s development, including minority equity, equity hybrid instruments, junior credit and senior credit. The company tailors its process to each company’s specific needs, providing customized solutions. A key goal of this strategy is to generate equity-like returns with structured downside protection, focusing on return potential while controlling risk through capital structuring.
In line with the firm’s wider investment approach, its Special Situations professionals deliver robust local expertise, giving them an edge in completing and managing these strategy-specific investments. With this, the firm supports companies through transitional phases while providing value to both companies and investors.
Achievements
MBK Partners has been distinguished as one of Asia’s most influential private equity firms. The firm’s accomplishments show not only the scale of its transactions but also Michael B. Kim’s devotion to fruitful partnerships with management teams, operational excellence and values-based growth.
In 2016, the firm was a finalist for Private Equity Firm of the Year at the 2016 Outstanding Firm Awards (from the Global M&A Network, Asia Pacific Middle Markets), recognizing the company’s operational excellence and noteworthy accomplishments in Asia. The award is given to teams with significant transactions in the Asia-Pacific region and demonstrated regional leadership and expertise.
MBK Partners was awarded the Private Equity Deal of the Year at Mergermarket’s China M&A Awards in 2021 for the privatization of CAR Inc., honoring the transaction’s complexity and impact. The firm was given the Best Deal of the Year Award at the Asia Capital Investment Awards in 2023 for a series of high-profile transactions, including Medit, Osstem Implant and Nexflex. MBK Partners was also named Firm of the Year in Korea at Private Equity International’s PEI Awards in 2023, highlighting its prominence in the Asian-Pacific market.
MBK Partners was also named among TIME’s World’s Best Companies in 2024, which recognizes companies that excel in employee satisfaction, financial growth, and environmental and social responsibility. MBK Partners was selected for the award along with only two other private equity firms out of thousands of companies.
To learn more about Michael B. Kim and MBK Partners, visit his MBK Partners page, or Bloomberg profile.
More About Michael B. Kim
To learn more about Michael B. Kim, follow him on LinkedIn.