India private equity activity may hit record high in 2015 - report

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Private equity investments in India are poised to hit a record high this year, surpassing its previous milestone of $14.7 billion in 2007, thanks in part to large investments in the country's online start-up sector, according to a research firm.

Private equity investments in the first nine months of the year have already reached $13 billion from 504 transactions, according to Venture Intelligence, which tracks PE, venture capital and mergers and acquisitions in India.

Investments have surged thanks to a record $5.89 billion invested in the July-September quarter, which was up 125 percent over the same period last year.

Some of the large deals in the third quarter included fund raising by Indian e-commerce firms Flipkart, Snapdeal and Ola, according to the research firm.

The revival in private equity in India comes at a time when share markets have outperformed other emerging markets such as Brazil, as investors remain hopeful about economic reforms from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

(Reporting by Karen Rebelo in Mumbai; Editing by Anand Basu)