Private Equity 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 12, 2026, 1:31 PM ET
Infrastructure & Energy
I Squared Capital is approaching $10 billion pe-insights.com in commitments for its next flagship infrastructure fund, capitalizing on robust investor appetite for energy transition and digital infrastructure assets. Separately, Arc Light has acquired a 50% stake pehub.com in Infra Bridge's 5.4 GW natural gas-fired power portfolio, comprising 11 plants across Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ontario. In the renewable sector, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has secured €1.3 billion pe-insights.com at first close for its flagship green credit fund, targeting clean energy and sustainable infrastructure projects across Europe.
Private Equity Mega-Deals
Blackstone and Blue Owl have acquired a minority stake pe-insights.com in Atlas Holdings, the $16 billion industrial platform, expanding their footprint in middle-market private equity. Meanwhile, Carlyle is exploring a multibillion-dollar structured financing pe-insights.com to seed its Carlyle Partners IX flagship fund, while Brookfield is in talks to acquire World Freight Company pe-insights.com from EQT and PAI in a $1.3 billion deal. In a separate move, TPG has completed a $4.75 billion sale pehub.com of Intersect to Google, spinning off the grid-tied power business into a new independent company.
Secondary Markets & GP-Led Activity
The GP-led secondaries market continues to accelerate secondariesinvestor.com, with deal volume hitting all-time highs in 2025, though LP satisfaction with continuation vehicle processes remains mixed. BNP Paribas has raised €540 million pe-insights.com for its first GP stakes strategy targeting private capital managers, while CPP Investments has launched Project Ember secondariesinvestor.com, a multi-billion-dollar portfolio sale including equal strips to buyout funds. General Atlantic has entered the secondaries space through a partnership with Clipway secondariesinvestor.com, targeting $1 billion for a fund focused on growth equity and late-stage venture capital.
Credit & Private Credit
Deutsche Bank has disclosed $30 billion pe-insights.com in private credit exposure as it plans expansion in the sector, while Partners Group chair Steffen Meister has warned that private credit defaults could rise pe-insights.com as AI reshapes markets. Despite these concerns, the firm's chief executive David Layton maintains that AI and credit fears are "wildly overdone," noting that Partners Group has not levered its private credit evergreen funds like some peers.
Technology & AI
A surge in AI-driven activity has propelled several startups to unicorn status, with Gumloop landing $50 million techcrunch.com from Benchmark to empower employees with AI agent-building tools. OpenAI's record-breaking performance has been accompanied by robotics and semiconductor startups quietly adding the most new unicorns in February, including six robotics companies and four semiconductor-related startups. Breakout Ventures has raised $114 million techcrunch.com for a fund backing early-stage scientific startups in biology and chemistry, while Turing winner Yann LeCun's new AI lab AMI has raised $1 billion news.crunchbase.com in Europe's largest seed round ever.
Fundraising & Strategy
Bain Capital has raised $12.5 billion pe-insights.com across its latest Asia and Japan buyout funds, underscoring continued confidence in the region. Meanwhile, Founders Fund is nearing a $6 billion close techcrunch.com for its latest growth fund, coming less than a year after closing a $4.6 billion vehicle. W Capital Partners' David Wachter emphasized the importance of compounding assets within original funds secondariesinvestor.com to mitigate what he believes will become a more K-curve market.
Add-Ons & Platform Building
AE Industrial's AIM MRO has completed its fourth add-on pehub.com since the firm's investment, acquiring AA Bushings to strengthen its aerospace and defense portfolio. Similarly, Main Capital-backed TMA has completed its second acquisition pehub.com of 2026, adding Brains First to its portfolio. In the industrial sector, Wynnchurch-backed Hydraulic Technologies has acquired Foxtrot Industriel pehub.com, a manufacturer of motorized industrial handling equipment.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Chicago Pacific Founders has invested in Nexben pehub.com, a Minneapolis-based provider of end-to-end healthcare benefits management and consultation services. BV Investment has also invested in Moxe Health pehub.com, a clinical data exchange platform enabling secure automated exchange of clinical data between healthcare providers and health plans through direct EHR integration.
European Market Activity
EQT is eyeing a $6 billion divestment pe-insights.com of Linux developer SUSE, while the firm recently led a $5.5 billion Galderma share sale pe-insights.com in a record Swiss secondary exit. In France, despite a fundraising slowdown, the country remains a steady presence in European private equity, with the sector generating €19.5 billion in exit value in 2025, a 77% increase on the prior year.
Middle East & International Capital
Qatari-backed Irth Capital has launched a $1.5 billion bid pe-insights.com for Papa John's at $47 per share, backed by Brookfield. A top European LP has noted that Middle East investors will remain an "important" source of capital, highlighting the region's growing influence in global private markets.
Legal & Regulatory
Revolut has finally won its UK banking licence sifted.eu after a five-year regulatory battle, clearing a major hurdle for the fintech's expansion. Meanwhile, a US pension has banned private markets from its DC portfolio privateequityinternational.com, reflecting growing scrutiny of private market allocations in retirement accounts.
Specialty & Niche Strategies
Lindsay Goldberg is plotting a build-out secondariesinvestor.com of its continuation vehicle investment strategy, joining a growing number of PE firms expanding into the secondaries market. Edmond de Rothschild Corporate Finance and Jasmin Capital have formed a partnership secondariesinvestor.com for co-control deals where GPs seek to sell part of a stake via M&A while moving the remainder into a CV.
Exit Activity
Carlyle has agreed to sell SierraCol Energy pe-insights.com to Prime Infrastructure Capital, marking the private equity firm's exit from the Colombian oil producer. E2P has sold Furlani Foods to Arbor Investments pehub.com after a three-year hold, achieving its operational goals faster than planned. In the UK, Epiris-backed Delinian has sold three companies to Triple Private Equity pehub.com, including Derivia Intelligence, Extel, and Euromoney.
Market Outlook & Strategy
A&M Capital's Jeremy Weisberg emphasized that exit visibility is key secondariesinvestor.com in evaluating deals, with the firm focusing on mid-market and smaller transactions for their attractive risk-return profiles. Meanwhile, Evercore APAC's secondaries director has departed secondariesinvestor.com, with the firm recently hiring Ben Hart from Adams Street Partners to lead its APAC private capital advisory business.