Through the partnership, Reach Alts will leverage Russell Investments’ institutional investment management expertise, global reach and research capabilities.
This will strengthen Reach Alts’ existing suite of wholesale funds, the firm stated, which provide access to global private markets to financial advisers and wholesale clients.
The two companies also teamed up on the newly launched Reach Global Private Infrastructure Fund, offering wholesale investors access to unlisted infrastructure investment managers through the Russell Investments Global Unlisted Infrastructure Fund.
Underlying investments in the fund comprise transport, renewables, utilities, and digital infrastructure assets. Now accessible via the Reach Alts platform, it has a minimum investment of $25,000 and will offer quarterly redemptions with a one-year lock-up period.
Sam Phillips, Reach Alts’ chief executive, said the private markets specialist was excited to announce its partnership with Russell Investments.
“This partnership strengthens our offering to wholesale investors and advisers, seeking access to institutional-grade private markets, backed by deep research and robust portfolio construction. It’s timely to open access to quality global unlisted infrastructure assets, which play a crucial role in building stable and diversified investment portfolios,” Phillips commented.
Neil Rogan, head of distribution for Russell Investments in Australia and New Zealand, said its longevity in conducting manager research and due diligence in manager selection and portfolio construction was critical in Reach’s decision to partner with them.
“We are well placed to provide further investment and distribution solutions as the partnership progresses,” he explained.
“Russell Investments’ open architecture approach aligns perfectly with Reach Alts’ mission to break down barriers and enable advisers to allocate high-quality private markets opportunities for their clients, as well as non-profits such as charities and educational institutions.”
In February this year, Reach Alts appointed Divyesh Bhana as its new head of private wealth to advance its mission of democratising access to private markets.
This followed Reach’s strategic alliance with HUB24 announced in September 2024, with the platform taking a minority equity stake in the firm. As part of this, HUB24 stated it would collaborate with the team at Reach and potentially other industry providers to co-design innovative products and solutions to offer a broader range of alternative investment solutions for advisers and their clients.
Looking at the broader wealth management space, Natixis Investment Managers recently discovered that 48 per cent of wealth managers globally said meeting client demand for private markets was a “critical factor” in their expansion plans.
The report highlighted alternatives as playing a more significant role in investment portfolios, accounting for 17 per cent of global allocations in moderate risk portfolios. This was alongside equities at 44 per cent globally, fixed income at 33 per cent, and cash at 5 per cent.
