KKR invests in Philippine higher education group

Global investment firm KKR is investing in a Philippine private group that provides affordable tertiary education to underserved youth.

The New York City-based firm, through its Global Impact Fund II, has agreed to invest an unspecified amount in Phinma Education Holdings, the education arm of Filipino conglomerate Phinma Corporation, with participation from existing shareholder Kaizenvest.  Phinma Corporation will remain the majority shareholder in Phinma Education.

Established in 2004, Phinma Education seeks to provide quality, affordable higher education to students from low-income families, equipping them with professional and vocational training that supports gainful employment.

Guided by Phinma’s mission to “Make Lives Better Through Education”, it is one of the largest private higher education groups in Southeast Asia, serving around 150,000 students through its fast-growing network of colleges and universities, including nine in the Philippines and one in Indonesia.

KKR has had a long history of investing in the Philippines across multiple asset classes and strategies, including private equity, infrastructure, and growth equity. But this transaction marks the firms’ first investment in the country out of its Global Impact strategy, which invests in companies whose core business contributes meaningfully towards one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Phinma Education’s mission directly contributes towards SDG 4 (quality education), KKR says.

Find out more : The Asset