Xin Lang Cai Jing·2025-12-31 14:50Core Viewpoint - The case of Shengyuan Environmental Protection highlights a significant investment failure where a subsidiary lost 81.54% of a 60 million yuan investment in a private equity fund within nine months, resulting in a loss of nearly 47 million yuan, serving as a cautionary tale for risk management in investment practices [1][9]. Group 1: Investment Timeline and Initial Performance - From February to March 2025, Shengyuan Environmental's subsidiary, Xiamen Jinlingji Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., invested 60 million yuan in the "Shenbo Hongtu Growth No. 1 Private Securities Investment Fund," which had a risk rating of R4 (medium-high risk), indicating a mismatch with the company's intention for stable financial management [2][11]. - Initial reports from the fund manager, Shenzhen Shenbo Xintou Investment Management Co., Ltd., indicated a minor loss of about 8% until December 4, 2025, creating a false sense of security [4][13]. Group 2: The Unraveling of the Investment - The true crisis emerged after Shengyuan Environmental submitted a redemption request on December 9, 2025, leading to a dramatic drop in the fund's net value by 73% within a week, ultimately resulting in an 81.54% loss by December 25, 2025 [4][13]. - Investigations revealed that the fund manager had been fabricating net values and engaging in unauthorized trading, while the custodian, China Merchants Securities, failed to detect or prevent these violations [5][14]. Group 3: Reasons Behind the Losses - Three critical failures contributed to the substantial losses: 1. The fund manager's malicious violations, including concentrated investments in specific stocks and leveraging, which violated basic risk control principles [5][14]. 2. The custodian's ineffective supervision, which allowed the fund manager's fraudulent activities to go unchecked [6][16]. 3. The investor's inadequate risk management, as Shengyuan Environmental misallocated funds intended for stable investments into high-volatility products and relied solely on the manager's reports without independent verification [6][16]. Group 4: Lessons and Warnings - The Shengyuan Environmental case serves as a critical educational example for investors and fund-of-funds (FOF) professionals in selecting private equity managers and products, emphasizing the importance of assessing both the individuals and strategies involved [7][17]. - Key considerations for selecting private equity include evaluating governance, ownership structure, and the effectiveness of risk management systems, alongside quantitative performance analysis to distinguish between luck and skill in investment outcomes [7][17].