Blackstone to invest $25 bln in Indian private equity over 5 years, Bloomberg News reports

BENGALURU, March 28 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Blackstone will invest an additional $25 billion in private equity assets in India over the next five years, its Asia executive told Bloomberg News in an interview.

Blackstone already manages assets, ranging from warehouses and data centres to healthcare firms, worth $50 billion in the South Asian country.

The New York-based firm will hire 20 investment professionals in the country and double its office space in Mumbai, Blackstone's head of private equity in Asia, Amit Dixit, told the publication.

With its booming equities market, India has emerged as an attractive destination for investors across the world as they reduce their exposure to China, where hopes of a recovery remain clouded.

Blackstone's president, Jonathan Gray, had said last year that India is its top Asian market and one of its best-performing geographies.

Dixit told Bloomberg that Blackstone is exploring opportunities across a wide range of sectors, from data centers to infrastructure projects like airports, roads, and ports and India's nascent electronic manufacturing sector.

Blackstone did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)