Deutsche Bank's tech fund takes softly, softly approach

Deutsche Bank has made its first investment in Asia via a $300 million technology fund. The e-millennium 2 fund (em2), of which Deutsche Bank is the lead investor, was launched in late July, and last week took a 10% stake in Trade1Asia (T1A), a Keppel Corporation initiative.

T1A is a business-to-business (B2B) online resource and exchange for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and a hub for larger businesses to procure goods and services online at aggregated prices. The other strategic stakeholders in T1A are Keppel TatLee Bank, Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation, and k1eBiz Holdings, a Keppel Corporation subsidiary. Collectively, the shareholders have invested S$20 million ($11.44 million) into the B2B venture. Deustsche Bank declined to name the dollar figure of its investment.