Developing the right playbook is vital as private capital seeks out ways to innovate and drive value in an increasingly turbulent world. Nobody wants to find themselves stuck behind the 8 ball. Like any world-class pool player, it takes discipline, skill and vision to create a long-term winning position. And focus on the ultimate prize.
CVC Capital Partners might be forgiven for seeing double. According to its first full-year financial results since it listed on Euronext Amsterdam last April, it raised EUR1.5 billion in 2024, more than doubling its private wealth assets under management. CVC’s chief executive Rob Lucas said the plan was to go plural by getting regional or country-specific distribution partners.
Private equity and high performance often go hand in hand and by some measure 2024 was a banner year for sports dealmaking. Next season maybe we’ll be watching PE executives joining in with endzone celebrations… sure the fans would love to see that. So what’s the hype? Well, a new report by financial advisory firm Oaklins reveals that M&A sports deals involving PE groups nearly doubled year-on-year, rising from 96 in 2023 to 190 in 2024.
The private wealth revolution is surging ahead. Private market evergreen funds, or ‘semi-liquid’ funds, are the talk of the town, as wealth platforms increasing turn to private market groups to distribute their fund strategies to a wider cohort of mass affluent investors. The drawbridge to access private equity is finally lowering. It is no longer the preserve of Wall Street…now Main Street gets to enjoy the myriad advantages to investing in private assets. Assets under management are in excess of $320 billion across US- and EU- domiciled funds.
For a growing number of GPs, private wealth is a key tenet of their long-term business strategy with blue chip names such as KKR expecting evergreens to represent 50% of its fund offerings over the coming years. And while the universe of fund managers offering direct investment evergreens (investing directly in companies compared to investing indirectly through multi-GP fund products), remains modest, private banks expect it to rapidly expand.
For years, ESG was viewed as a mere checkbox—an obligation rather than an opportunity. However, that perception is shifting rapidly. Private equity firms across Europe are increasingly recognizing that sustainability is no longer a niche investment theme, but a key driver of value creation, competitive advantage, and long-term resilience.
As governments enforce aggressive decarbonization targets and industries face mounting pressure to transition, private capital is being called upon to bridge the funding gap and support portfolio companies in adopting more sustainable models. The role of private markets in financing energy infrastructure, industrial transformation, and climate-tech innovation is growing, and firms that fail to integrate sustainability into their investment strategies risk being left behind. The influence of private equity funds on the strategies of their portfolio companies and on the economy is well understood, and their stewardship strategies are becoming central to theis value creation efforts.