Preqin's Global Reports 2026 forecasts private markets entering the new year with cautious optimism and resilient long-term growth prospects across all major asset classes. The research firm projects private equity AUM approaching $12 trillion and private credit reaching $4.5 trillion by 2030, while infrastructure is set to nearly triple toward $3 trillion—with Europe leading that growth trajectory despite near-term deployment challenges and elevated interest rates constraini

Private capital hits $22T as investors flee broken stock-bond correlation; Q3 2025 PE deals reach highest since Q4 2021.

In a recent interview on the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast, Oaktree co-CEO Armen Panossian outlined the firm's defensive positioning ahead of an expected uptick in private credit defaults, warning that the 2018-2021 vintage of leveraged buyouts represents the market's soft underbelly as weak credits face a "day of reckoning" in 2027—while simultaneously highlighting asset-backed finance as a multi-trillion dollar opportunity created by banking sector retreat.

ING built Europe's largest evergreen alternatives platform by treating private markets as "slow money" requiring human-centric design.

Private markets crossed a Rubicon in 2025—the year the industry's decades-long focus on institutional capital gave way to an all-out assault on retail investor wallets. What began as a trickle of wealth management products became a flood: retail capital in private markets surged at a nearly 60% CAGR over four years to reach approximately $360 billion in assets, with private equity vehicles alone expanding 56% in 2024.

What's New According to iCapital Chairman and CEO Lawrence Calcano in a recent episode of the Alts Pulse podcast , Asia has emerged as the firm's largest international market with $18 billion in assets under management, surpassing Europe ($12B), Canada ($7B+), and Latin America ($5B). The platform has opened new offices in Tokyo and Australia within the past year, signaling aggressive expansion as wealth channels worldwide accelerate adoption of alternative investments. Why I

PwC's Asset and Wealth Management Revolution 2025 report projects private markets will capture more than half of total industry revenues by 2030, cementing their position as the sector's most profitable engine. While alternative AUM is expected to reach $34 trillion with private markets specifically hitting $26.6 trillion, the report warns that rising competition will put growing pressure on the standout fees and margins that have defined the asset class.

Individual investors control approximately 50% of global wealth, yet their allocation to private assets remains minimal compared to institutions—creating what Kristen Olsen describes as "the great white space" in private markets. As Global Head of Alternatives for Wealth at Goldman Sachs, Olsen has spent 25 years navigating this frontier, witnessing what she calls an inflection point in recent years driven by unprecedented product innovation.

Despite an executive order opening the door for 401(k) plans to adopt alternative investments, the path to meaningful private market allocations in America's $12.5 trillion defined contribution market will take years, not months, to materialize due to structural barriers and complex decision-making processes.

Private markets face a critical moment as the rush to open alternative investments to retail investors collides with mounting concerns over credit quality, transparency, and regulatory oversight. BDC stocks are plunging, dividends are being cut for the first time, and high-profile bankruptcies are exposing risks in the $1.7 trillion sector.

Must Know: Record Deal Activity Signals Private Markets Renaissance Bottom Line:   Electronic Arts' $55 billion leveraged buyout—the...

In Brief: Private capital assets are projected to surge from $13 trillion to over $30 trillion in the next five years, fundamentally...

What's New BlackRock's new "On the Record" series forecasts the private credit market will surge from $2.1 trillion today to $4.5...

Alternative asset managers are experiencing their highest levels of optimism about exit activity and IPO markets since before the 2022 rate hikes, with several industry leaders signaling that the pause in activity is behind them. Glenn Schorr, senior managing director and senior research analyst at Evercore ISI who has covered alternative asset managers since the first firms went public.

Brookfield Asset Management executives outlined an ambitious plan to double the firm's size over the next five years, targeting compound earnings growth of up to 20% annually through strategic expansion into artificial intelligence infrastructure and private wealth markets. Speaking at their 2025 Investor Day in New York, CEO Bruce Flatt, President Connor Teskey along with key senior executives positioned the $1 trillion asset manager to capitalize on what they see as transfo

Private equity faces its worst crisis in decades as fundraising collapses and exit strategies fail. Over 18,000 funds chase $3.3 trillion while returns plummet from 13.5% to 0.8%. Firms explore retail democratization and continuation funds as traditional models break down across global markets.Retry

High inflation and elevated interest rates are forcing wealthy clients to rethink portfolio construction, with traditional 60/40 allocations no longer sufficient for generational wealth building. On J.P. Morgan Asset Management's "Alternative Realities" podcast, Sitara Sundar, Head of Alternative Investment Strategy & Market Intelligence at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, oversees investment guidance for clients managing over $2.9 trillion in assets globally.

Must Know: Private Credit Surges as Traditional Asset Managers Struggle to Keep Pace Bottom Line:  Private credit firms are rapidly...

Jenny Johnson warns that alternatives managers have largely saturated institutional markets and are now aggressively targeting the wealth channel, creating both opportunities and risks for individual investors.

Private credit secondaries explode to $18B as liquidity crunch hits funds. Goldman invests $1B in T. Rowe for retail push. Major deals: $38B Oracle data centers, $20B Carlyle secondaries fund. Asia education boom driven by Apollo/KKR. Industry consolidation expected as 96% of managers anticipate M&A within 5 years amid regulatory pressures.Retry