How asset managers can respond to a converging world

The convergence of public and private markets — part 3

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6 min read
2028-11-30
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Key points:

  • Asset managers may gain an edge by connecting public- and private-market insights, not simply offering them side by side.
  • Cross-market collaboration may strengthen sourcing, due diligence, portfolio construction, risk management, and exit decisions by bringing complementary perspectives to each stage.
  • As clients seek more holistic portfolio advice, managers with expertise across public and private markets may be better positioned to evaluate relative value and allocate capital.
  • Realizing these benefits requires infrastructure, policies, data, compliance, technology, and vehicle-design capabilities that enable insights to flow while protecting clients and issuers.

Introduction

In this three-part series, we examine the convergence of public and private markets through the lenses of 1) companies and issuers, 2) institutional and wealth investors, and 3) managers and general partners (GPs). Part 1 focused on how companies and issuers are navigating newfound flexibility in the financing ecosystem. Part 2 looked at how this changing market structure is influencing investor behavior and portfolio implementation, with different implications for wealth and institutional investors. Here, in Part 3, we turn inward and reflect on what these trends mean for asset managers.

As public and private markets become more interconnected, simply offering capabilities in both is unlikely to be enough. The greater opportunity is to connect those capabilities in ways that improve investment decisions and client outcomes. That means creating an environment in which public and private investors can exchange relevant insights, compare opportunities across structures, and challenge one another’s assumptions — without blurring the lines of accountability or compromising the infrastructure in place to protect clients and issuers.

We see three areas in which managers can evolve: investment culture and capabilities, client solutions, and the infrastructure that supports the broader platform. Progress across all three can help managers translate public and private market breadth into a practical investment edge.

Investment culture and capabilities: Turning collaboration into insight

We believe that creating a cohesive investment platform that spans public and private markets ultimately depends on culture. Organizational structures and dedicated forums can encourage investors to share relevant perspectives, but investment culture determines whether that collaboration produces better outcomes. Public-market investors can bring market signals, valuation frameworks, and industry comparisons to private-market analysis, while private-market investors can offer insights into emerging technologies, business models, and competitive dynamics. Asset managers that foster this two-way exchange may be better positioned to differentiate their platforms, whether through broad cross-market capabilities or focused areas of expertise. The following examples illustrate how public- and private-side collaboration can enhance investment dialogue at each stage of the investment process.

Sourcing: Meeting issuers across the financing menu

A manager’s ability to source investment opportunities can improve when issuers know it can invest through multiple avenues. As discussed in Part 1 of our series, companies increasingly approach financing their growth as a menu of options rather than a predetermined choice among public bonds, private placements, loans, structured solutions, and equity issuance. In some cases, an issuer may not know at the outset which instrument will best meet its objectives. A manager that understands multiple funding paths can engage earlier, help evaluate trade-offs, and potentially earn better access, allocations, or alignment on terms. That strategic dialogue can benefit both investors and companies, building trust over time.

Due diligence: Seeing developments upstream and downstream

Managers seek differentiated insights that can strengthen their due diligence and widen the aperture through which they assess risks and potential returns — particularly when opportunities sit at the intersection of public and private markets. As an example, a private-market investor evaluating an early-stage biotechnology company may benefit from a public-market perspective on the commercial landscape: how large pharmaceutical companies, payers, and public market investors may assess a new therapy, how disruptive the product could be, and what level of growth the market might ultimately reward. At the same time, the public-market investor may gain a deeper understanding of new drugs and business models developing upstream.

Portfolio construction and risk: Looking across the capital structure

Portfolio construction differs in private markets, where investors have less flexibility to reshape and reposition portfolios than they do in public markets. Private-market investors can still manage exposures through position sizing, decisions about whether to participate in follow-on rounds, and, increasingly, transactions in the maturating secondary market. Additionally, as risk models evolve to incorporate both public and private assets, managers may be able to apply relevant lessons from public-market portfolio management and risk frameworks.

Exit paths: Bringing a public-market lens to private assets — and vice versa

For private-market investors, public-market colleagues can help assess how an initial public offering might be received, which valuation framework the market may apply, and the potential value to a strategic buyer. In turn, public-side investors can gain a deeper understanding of emerging opportunities and competitive threats from private company entrants to established and perhaps more mature businesses. They may also develop a differentiated perspective on the growth trajectory of public comparables, helping to inform their holding periods.

Client solutions: From product provider to portfolio partner

As discussed in Part 2 of our series, the convergence of public and private markets is having an impact on how clients think about their total portfolios. As clients seek to do more with fewer managers, firms that can provide holistic solutions and advice may benefit the most.

For CIOs and allocators, many of the most important questions now span traditional allocation boundaries. Major investment themes, such as the growth and adoption of artificial intelligence, can create opportunities across public and private credit, infrastructure, real estate, private equity, and listed equities. Asset owners will increasingly want to understand where the most attractive opportunities reside, how different exposures compare on a relative-value basis, and how to manage risk across the portfolio.

Managers with expertise across both public and private markets may be better positioned to help clients evaluate these trade-offs and make more informed capital-allocation decisions. The value often comes not from a single viewpoint, but from bringing together multiple perspectives and testing assumptions from different angles.

Platform infrastructure: Building the connective tissue

Effective collaboration between public- and private-market investors depends on a platform designed to support the exchange of insights, including the appropriate infrastructure, policies, and technology. Because the two sides operate differently, from their workflows and data needs to their valuation and regulatory frameworks, the platform must accommodate those distinctions while creating enough common language and connectivity for insights to travel across the organization.

Vehicle design and operations are another priority, particularly as private assets reach a broader investor base. Evergreen and other semi-liquid vehicles require capabilities in cash management, pacing, valuation, subscriptions and redemptions, and portfolio construction that may draw on both public and private market expertise.

Conclusion

The convergence of public and private markets could reward managers that not only provide access to both capabilities but also integrate them more effectively. That starts with culture: Investors who share insights stand to make sharper decisions than those working in silos. That benefit extends to clients, who increasingly want a partner that can weigh opportunities across the whole portfolio. Supporting infrastructure, including compliance, data, and vehicle design, will also be essential, allowing insight to flow without compromising the infrastructure that protects clients and issuers.

The views expressed are those of the authors at the time of writing. Other teams may hold different views and make different investment decisions. The value of your investment may become worth more or less than at the time of original investment. While any third-party data used is considered reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed. For professional, institutional or accredited investors only.

Experts

kirk-laura
Head of Private Investments Capital Formation & Investor Relations
pozen-daniel-87894-u648
Head of Investment Platform, Equity Portfolio Manager

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