Wafra takes minority stake in France’s Ardian

Global alternative investment manager Wafra, which is owned by the Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait, has taken a minority stake in French private investment firm Ardian.

Wafra identified Ardian as an “ideal” strategic partner, having been “actively exploring avenues” to expand its private markets exposure in secondaries and real assets. 

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“Ardian’s scale, diversified investment strategies, and established track record of performance across market cycles aligns closely with Wafra’s emphasis on partnering with differentiated asset managers that provide meaningful collaboration opportunities to Wafra’s own global investor network,” Wafra said in a statement.

New York-based Wafra has approximately $28bn (£21.4bn) of assets under management across a range of alternative investment strategies, including strategic partnerships, real assets and infrastructure, and real estate.

Wafra is making the minority investment via its strategic partners program, through which it partners with scaled alternative asset managers to support their growth.

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Established as a buyout fund in 1996, Ardian now manages $192bn of assets across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East.

Ardian provides tailored investment solutions to its 1,860 clients, with investment offerings spanning private equity, real assets and private credit.

In the past year, Ardian has raised the largest ever secondaries fund, ASF IX, and a record $20bn for its infrastructure platform to invest in essential infrastructure across Europe. 

It also raised €3.2bn (£2.8bn) for its mid-cap private equity strategy to invest in “mission critical” businesses.

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