Sector Investment 24-Hour Briefing
×Awards Season Highlights
KKR secured its third consecutive Fund Manager of the Year award for Latin America, while a new Power & Utilities category debuted. The firm's success extended to the Middle East and Africa region, where it also claimed Fund Manager of the Year and recently opened its third local office. In Europe, the take-private of Neoen powered Deal of the Year, and EQT earned Fund Manager of the Year after the region's largest 2025 fundraise. Blue Owl Capital took two North American awards, and Macquarie won Fund Manager of the Year there. Across all Infrastructure Investor awards, no manager dominated, reflecting a total reshuffle of top achievers.
Real Estate Awards Reshuffle
The PERE Awards 2025 mirrored this dispersion, with no single organization taking more than three regional prizes. Blackstone stole the European show, winning four of its five awards there, reinforcing its unchallenged fundraising dominance. In North America, the residential sector propelled a manager to its first win, remaining a top choice. A focus on diversity and performance was central to Deborah Harmon's Lifetime Achievement Award from Artemis Real Estate Partners.
Market Shifts & Strategies
Bernhard Capital Partners sees rich opportunities in mid-market regulated utility carve-outs as parent companies seek capital for new power infrastructure. StepStone Group reports a record year for secondaries, with liquidity constraints accelerating its real estate investment management growth. BGO identifies a deep opportunity set in Japan from a wave of corporate non-core asset sales. Ridgewood Infrastructure finds the lower mid-market increasingly attractive for its value creation and exit optionality.
Sector-Specific Opportunities
Infracapital pins the next transport decarbonization wave on shipping after rail and EVs led the first. Ascendant Capital Partners advocates for flexible capital strategies amid uneven global hospitality recovery. Blue Owl Capital notes investor gravitation toward scale and downside protection in real assets, particularly as data center volatility persists. Principal Asset Management highlights how power, scale, and capital are reshaping data center investment decisions.
Capital Flows & Regional Focus
APG is pivoting Asia Pacific strategy toward core real estate in developed markets via open-ended funds. Wilmington Trust analyzes shifting energy transition investment flows over the past year. The Europe roundtable considers if the region's relative stability can attract capital during a property market recovery. A special transport report details EV charging investment hurdles and resilience dividends.
Deal & Fund Activity
Blackstone's European award haul underscores its ongoing fundraising strength. The Neoen take-private stood out as a major European infrastructure deal. Macquarie's North American award recognized combined fundraising and exit success. EQT's European fund manager win followed the closure of the region's largest 2025 fund.