Unlocking private equity

A growing number of structured products have been launched that are designed to give institutional, high-net-worth and even retail investors access to private equity. Anuszka Mogford looks at some of the products on offer

Private equity has quickly become a key component in many investors' portfolios. Keen to diversify their investments, pension funds have been upping their allocations to private equity as an alternative asset class, while the industry's strong performance in the current merger and acquisition boom has caught the attention of a variety of other investors, both institutional and high-net-worth.

The problem is access. Hefty minimum investments, combined with the limited capacity of top private