Fabrice Chemouny (pictured), head of international distribution at Natixis IM, said: 'We will continue to invest in the private asset space, because this is a need from our clients.'
Global financial institution Natixis Investment Managers has held its annual Thought Leadership Summit in Paris, with a particular focus on the rise of private assets.
Fabrice Chemouny, head of international distribution at Natixis IM, said that despite being "very present" in the private asset space, the global asset manager is looking to grow even further.
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He said: "We will continue to invest in the private asset space, because this is a need from our clients and they are expecting us to deliver solutions for them in that aspect."
The firm is "growing significantly on the private equity side" with help from its subsidiary Flexstone Partners, "reinforcing its real estate capabilities" with AEW and building its private debt arm.
Andrew Benton, head of Northern Europe and MENA at Natixis IM, said that private assets "have been a big part of portfolios for decades", but the difference today is how to introduce those capabilities to partners and the wider market.
He added that there is a variety of ways to manage that, be it through evergreen products, LTAFs or another, less complex, product.
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Private markets and assets had a negative light shone upon them last year following the collapse of Tricolor Holdings and First Brands, as well as Blue Owl's liquidity issues last month.
Philippe Faget, head of private assets at VEGA Investment Solutions, said these events "scared people" but they have led to better disclosure of information.
Investor preference for private assets, however, was not the only change discussed, with Natixis also highlighting changes in how they invest overall.
"Of course, clients are very clear about their expectations, especially towards active management," noted Constance Clerc, head of business enhancement at Natixis IM.
"What they told us is that 60% of those institutional investors expect active strategies to outperform passives in 2026," she explained.
"We need to explore our active fixed income management and rethink risk and reward for our clients in today's market."
