Sector Investment 3 Days

Last updated: April 17, 2026, 2:30 PM ET

Real Estate Fundraising Slows Amid Investor Caution

Overall fundraising volume for real estate plummeted 50% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, signaling a sharp deceleration in capital deployment across the sector. However, the pullback appears concentrated, as the market fragmentation caused by the absence of giants like Blackstone and Brookfield has created space for smaller managers to secure capital more efficiently, often hitting or exceeding their targets faster than in prior years. Amid this shift, CBRE Investment Management is making strategic hires to revitalize its efforts in European value-add strategies, appointing former Hines executive Paul White to head the Europe Value Partners series—a fund line that has seen no new capital raised since 2018.

Infrastructure Capital Faces Headwinds and Risk Reassessment

The broader private assets market saw infrastructure fundraising return to earth in Q1, with unlisted, closed-end structures gathering only $26.4 billion, marking the second-lowest quarterly total across the last six years. Industry leaders are urging caution regarding the current investment climate, as S-Squared founder Sadek Wahba expressed concern that investors are significantly underestimating the potential market disruption stemming from the ongoing conflict in Iran, even as AI infrastructure sees rapid buildout. Separately, Infrastructure Investor is deepening its quantitative coverage following its acquisition of Scientific Infra & Private Assets (SIPA), aiming to provide more granular insights into these volatile market segments.