Partners Group has raised $8.5bn (€7.3bn) for its third direct infrastructure programme.

The manager said the programme is anchored by Partners Group’s third flagship direct infrastructure fund, which raised $6.4bn, and includes an additional $2.1bn committed via other managed private markets programmes and bespoke client solutions that will invest alongside the fund.

Investors in the third direct infrastructure programme comprise a mix of new and existing clients, including public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, endowment funds, and foundations.

Juri Jenkner, partner and head of private infrastructure at Partners Group, said: “We believe Partners Group is in a unique position to source and build the next generation of infrastructure on our clients’ behalf due to our proprietary thematic investment approach and platform expansion capabilities.”

The closing follows a period of investment activity for the firm, with $5.4bn committed in 2021 to infrastructure assets and companies.

The remainder of the programme will be deployed globally, on behalf of investors, with a focus on infrastructure investments in high-conviction thematic areas associated with the overriding giga themes of digitisation & automation, new living, and decarbonization & sustainability, the manager said.

Esther Peiner, managing director, private infrastructure Europe at Partners Group, said: “Our approach consists of thematically-driven investment combined with hands-on, platform-based value creation strategies aimed at developing next-generation infrastructure and generating returns that are protected against economic instability.

“With uncertainty caused by the pandemic and concerns over inflation still on the horizon, this approach has never been more relevant.”

Vittorio Lacagnina, managing director, client solutions at Partners Group, said the programme benefits from a sizeable seed portfolio, reflecting “strong deployment pace and potential J-curve mitigation at a time when the acceleration of behavioural and structural changes is creating a compelling opportunity set for institutional investors”.

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