The Australian private capital industry has grown to a record $77bn in total assets as of June 2020, up from $71bn at the end of 2019. Emerging from the depths of a very challenging year for the entire global economy, the Australian alternatives industry showed resilience amid the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.

Together with the Australian Investment Council, we look back at private capital in 2020 to pick apart the key attractions of a market working hard to carve a path toward long-term recovery and explore the ways industry stakeholders are adapting. We also examine the size, scale, and influence of Australian superannuation funds, which play a key role in accelerating the adoption of ESG criteria across every dimension of investment strategies.

This report leverages proprietary data covering critical metrics on private capital funds, deals, and capital flows across the private equity, venture capital, private debt, real estate, and infrastructure & natural resources sectors in Australia. This newest edition continues a long-term strategic partnership that Preqin and the Australian Investment Council have developed in tracking, recording, and disseminating industry data to market participants, and the business community across Australia.