West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – Spice Finance, the financial services arm of the $1.5 billion B. K. Modi Group, has entered into a first-of-its-kind strategic joint venture with Singapore-based 3 Degrees Asset Management to launch the Spice 3 Degrees Special Opportunities Fund.

Chaired by turnaround management specialist, Dr Divya Modi, Executive Director of Spice Finance, the fund will hold a first closing of $21 million comprised of commitments from Spice and 3 Degrees. A final closing will be held once third party commitments reach $100 million.

“Spice Finance will invest Rs. 500 crore ($100 million) in distressed assets and special situations, as well as other niche businesses such as remittances and over-the-counter exchanges," said Modi. "Our strategic alliance with 3 Degrees is the first significant step in our goal to achieve a $1 billion valuation for Spice Finance within the next few years,”

The new fund will invest in distressed assets and special situations spanning India and Southeast Asia. “Asia’s distressed asset market is highly inefficient, very large and growing rapidly,” said Moe Ibrahim, Founder of distressed specialist 3 Degrees. “With over $2 trillion in opportunities and only a handful of sophisticated players, the Asian distressed asset market epitomizes the inefficiencies we seek to exploit as a firm. Although the market is enormous, competition is negligible due to the relationship intensive nature of the opportunity set.”

The fund will target companies whose shareholders are struggling or where the debt holders are foreclosing. “We will focus on companies with excellent long-term growth prospects, but where short-term liquidity and management issues have caused the company to fail. Spice has a 30 years rich history of using technology and training in turning around troubled companies. We have the business acumen and resources to make companies successful,” said Modi.