HONG KONG, Sept 1 — Global buyout firm TPG Capital Management is seeking to raise more than US$4 billion (RM16.33 billion) for a new Asia-focused fund, in what would be its biggest for the region, people familiar with the plans told Reuters.

The new fund will be one fifth bigger than its last one, TPG Asia VI, which raised US$3.3 billion in 2014, and reflects growing investment opportunities in the region.

It would, however, still trail the regional record set by KKR & Co's Asia Fund II which raised US$6 billion in 2013.

Total capital available for investment could reach about US$6 billion when co-investments from limited partners - the pension funds and institutional investors who will invest in the TPG fund — are included, one of the people said.

TPG declined to comment.

Sources declined to be identified as the fund raising plans were confidential.

Co-investments allow limited partners to invest in target companies through the fund itself and directly without having to pay management and performance fees, which can translate into millions of dollars of savings.

TPG invested US$577 million from its TPG Asia VI fund in 2015, bringing the total invested capital to US$1.4 billion, according to an annual letter to its limited partners seen by Reuters in December.

Limited partners in the fund co-invested an additional US$338 million last year.

TPG this year invested US$150 million in Indian micro finance lender Janalakshmi Financial Services.

It has also completed the sale of packaging company HCP to Baring Private Equity Asia in a transaction that sources have said was valued at US$775 million.

Its other investments in the region include stakes in China International Capital Corp (CICC), the country's largest domestic investment bank, Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN) in Indonesia and Apollo Towers, which operates mobile phone towers in Myanmar. — Reuters