Ardian has partnered with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) to launch a direct NAV financing platform targeting mid-market buyout and infrastructure funds. The platform provides fund-level financing secured against the net asset value of existing portfolios, enabling mid-market managers to support portfolio growth, optimize deployment, and drive value creation without asset sales.
SMBC brings a long track record in large-cap NAV financing, structuring expertise, and a global banking franchise. Ardian contributes mid-market relationships, local market access, and proprietary data from its secondaries and primaries business covering more than 1,700 funds, over 700 GPs, and more than 12,000 underlying companies. This dataset positions Ardian to assess risk and identify high-quality assets, reinforced by its scale in secondaries including the record $30bn ASF IX platform announced in January 2025.
"NAV financing sits at the intersection of private credit and secondaries — two areas where Ardian has built market-leading capabilities," said Vladimir Colas, executive president of Ardian. Olivier Berment, head of NAV financing and senior managing director at Ardian, noted the platform is already seeing strong deal flow and growing demand as fund managers recognize NAV financing as a strategic tool. For SMBC, the partnership provides a route to expand further into the mid-cap NAV market.
Source: PE Insights · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing