BlackRock has added private markets funds to the fund platform of market infrastructure provider Euroclear in what is described as a strategic partnership between the two firms.
The asset manager will distribute private market funds through Euroclear’s FundsPlace platform in a partnership that should streamline processes for clients and potentially set new standards in capital raising, distribution, execution, and settlement in the private markets space.
The collaboration marks a “significant step” for Euroclear as it ventures deeper into the private markets sector and underscores both firms’ commitment to democratising access to these investment opportunities for a wider range of investors.
FundsPlace is designed to cater for over 2,500 clients worldwide, offering services such as distribution, order processing, custody solutions, and data management across all fund asset classes. This partnership is expected to leverage Euroclear’s global reach and infrastructure to make BlackRock’s private market strategies accessible to a broader audience.
BlackRock’s array of private market strategies include infrastructure, private debt, private equity, real estate, and multi-alternatives. The firm currently manages $167 billion in client assets within this asset class and is committed to expanding access through vehicles like European Long-term Investment Funds (Eltifs).
Euroclear said the choice of FundsPlace as a distribution platform reflects BlackRock’s confidence in Euroclear’s ability to deliver innovative, scalable solutions, particularly within the private markets sector.
Fabio Osta, head of the alternatives specialists team in Emea wealth at BlackRock, said: “We are pleased to partner with Euroclear to make private market investments more accessible and affordable. Euroclear FundsPlace will serve as an additional access point to our private markets platform, bolstered by product innovations like Eltif 2.0 and our educational initiatives through the BlackRock Alternatives Academy.”
