Private equity firm Templewater primed as Hong Kong moves to deepen Central Asia ties

Chairman Cliff Zhang says company positioning itself as ‘superconnector’ to channel Middle East funds into emerging market amid volatility elsewhere

Hong Kong private equity firm Templewater is eyeing investment opportunities in Central Asia’s real estate, energy transition and healthcare sectors, while positioning itself as a “superconnector” to channel capital from the Middle East into the emerging market.

Cliff Zhang Kun, chairman of Templewater, also stressed the need for businesses to diversify their investments and shift from traditional Western markets towards emerging economies amid geopolitical volatility.

Zhang, who will join a delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan early next month, said he expected to lock in and announce several collaboration projects with Central Asian companies during the trip.

Some involved Middle Eastern capital, he said, but stopped short of revealing further details.

The private equity boss said that while Central Asia lagged behind the Middle East in terms of development, there was nonetheless growing demand for infrastructure and technology, which offered lucrative investment opportunities.

“When a country and an economy develop, usually properties are where the demand first emerges,” he said, pointing to projects such as homes, offices, hotels and shopping centres.