Ardian, a global private investment firm with $200 billion in assets under management and supervision across its private equity, real estate, and private credit platforms, has announced the launch of the Ardian Access Infrastructure ELTIF (AAI ELTIF). This fund is designed to broaden access to private infrastructure investments for eligible investors in Europe, offering exposure to Ardian’s infrastructure investment capabilities through a single investment solution.
It is an evergreen fund that will allow private investors to access Ardian’s global infrastructure deal flow in a dedicated format. The fund invests in infrastructure both directly through its direct investment and co-investment activities, and indirectly through investments in underlying funds via its secondary market activities, which total $61 billion in assets under management.
AAI ELTIF is a new compartment of the umbrella fund Ardian Access Series Part II UCI, alongside the existing Ardian Access Infrastructure compartment. It is the latest addition to the Ardian Access platform, which offers investment solutions in an evergreen format, allowing investors to access private markets and diversify their current exposure with a tailored investment experience. ELTIFs are illiquid assets and carry the risk of partial or total loss of capital.
This launch comes at a time of strong demand for infrastructure investments, driven by underlying trends such as energy security, the energy transition, and digitalization. This asset class also offers private investors attractive portfolio characteristics, notably long-term, cycle-resilient performance, recurring cash flows, and inflation-indexed income.
Through Ardian Access Infrastructure ELTIF, investors gain exposure to:
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Ardian’s pioneering strategy in the infrastructure sector, which manages $45 billion in assets and focuses on three core sectors: energy, digital infrastructure, and transportation.
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A team of approximately 80 specialized investment professionals across eight offices in Europe and the Americas.
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The same deal flow and institutional-grade underwriting capabilities as Ardian’s flagship infrastructure funds.
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A robust, diversified portfolio of private infrastructure investments, with a primary focus on stable, developed European markets.
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An approach focused on direct investments, complemented by co-investments and secondary transactions, providing additional sources of attractive investment opportunities and diversification.
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Accessible investment minimums of €10,000, with the option to invest monthly and deploy capital immediately.
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The fund will also make minority investments, alongside its secondary transaction and co-investment activities.
Ardian launches the AAI ELTIF in partnership with iCapital, a global financial technology platform. Ardian will leverage iCapital’s full suite of technology solutions and services for open-ended funds to provide wealth managers and their clients with efficient access to alternative investment opportunities.
“We continue to see strong demand from private wealth investors looking to build more diversified portfolios in private markets. Infrastructure can play an important role within that allocation, offering investors access to essential assets along with attractive diversification features. With the Ardian Access Infrastructure ELTIF, we are making our infrastructure strategy—backed by a 20-year track record—available to a broader investor base, supported by the same investment teams, discipline, and pipeline of opportunities as our institutional strategies,” stated Jan Philipp Schmitz, Executive President of Ardian.
Meanwhile, Daniel von der Schulenburg, CEO Infrastructure and Head of Infrastructure Germany, Benelux, and Northern Europe at Ardian, noted that he believes “this is a particularly timely moment to invest in infrastructure. Significant investment is needed across Europe to drive the energy transition, strengthen energy security, and execute the next phase of digitalization, with private capital playing a key role in backing that transformation. Our strategy focuses on essential infrastructure underpinning daily economic activity, where demand can remain resilient through economic cycles and revenues are typically regulated or contractually fixed, delivering recurring cash yield while linked to inflation. The combination of these long-term structural investment needs and the fundamental characteristics of infrastructure makes this asset class particularly compelling today.”