The head of one of the world’s largest wealth funds said the clock is ticking for private equity and it’s time for buyout funds to return money to investors.
The industry is in trouble and got away with it for the last five to 10 years, said Sheikh Saoud Salem Al-Sabah, managing director of the $1 trillion (€883 billion) Kuwait Investment Authority. Some firms were underwriting deals with no real exit optionality, he said on a panel at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on Wednesday.
“The opportunities in private equity are in secondaries and special situations,” he said. “It is because of the need for private equity to return capital to LPs.”
The government of the State of Qatar is the underwriter of the Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg.
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
