Wed, Jul 22, 2026
A A A
Welcome Guest
Free Trial RSS pod
Get FREE trial access to our award winning publications
Alternative Market Briefing

Private asset fundraising falls back to 2017 levels as industry grapples with capital overhang

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

Global private asset fundraising has slowed to its weakest pace in nearly a decade, retreating to levels last seen in 2017, according to a new report from McKinsey & Co.

After reaching a record of almost $1.7 trillion in 2021, capital raised across private markets declined to approximately $1.1 trillion in 2024, the consultancy stated. The downturn has been most pronounced in private equity and real estate, where subdued exits have weighed heavily on managers' ability to return cash to investors.

By contrast, private credit and infrastructure have held up relatively well. Demand for refinancing and asset-backed lending has buoyed credit strategies. At the same time, infrastructure continues to attract investors with inflation-linked yields and exposure to digital-era assets such as data centers.

"Private markets are going through a digestion phase," McKinsey wrote, estimating it could take up to three years for the industry to work through the overhang of unsold portfolio companies and resume more normal fundraising cycles.

Some bright spots remain. Fundraising through private wealth channels and secondaries markets has accelerated, offsetting part of the shortfall. In the U.S., evergreen and semi-liquid structures geared toward high-net-worth investors grew to $348 billion in assets under management (AUM) last year, pulling in $64 billion in fresh capital. Globally, secondary funds raised about $130 billion in 2024, lifting asse......................

To view our full article Click here

Previous Opalesque Exclusives                                  
Previous Other Voices                                               
Access Alternative Market Briefing

 



  • Top Forwarded
  • Top Tracked
  • Top Searched
  1. Other Voices: Nvidia extraordinary growth and the challenge of sustaining demanding valuations over time[more]

    Antonio Di Giacomo, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com, writes: Nvidia has established itself as one of the most extraordinary growth companies in the global technology sector. Over the past two fiscal years, its revenues have risen from levels close to $60 billion annually to well above $120 billi

  2. Secondaries take center stage: What the 2026 PE landscape means for GPs and investors[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: The 2026 edition of Dechert's Global Private Equity Outlook - "Signs of a Gradual Thaw" - marks a notable shift in industry sentiment. After years of compr

  3. And, finally: Time to share it with the people[more]

    From Newsoftheweird: Leavenworth, Washington, has become a tourist destination because of the Bavarian theme businesses have adopted there, NPR reported. One shop, the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, houses the world's largest nutcracker collection, thanks to 101-year-old Arlene Wagner. Wagner sta

  4. Opalesque Exclusive: Private Markets Evergreen Funds - An Insider's View[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: Private Markets Evergreen Funds: What Investors Need to Know Before They Dive In The democratization of private markets is well underway. Structural barriers t

  5. Opalesque Exclusive: Governance, Scale, and Boutique Resilience in a Consolidating Hedge Fund Industry[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: The hedge fund industry has undergone significant consolidation in recent years, with capital increasingly concentrated among large multi-strategy platforms. Yet boutique m