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How Ares is capitalizing on the ‘retail revolution’ in alternative assets
A version of this article appeared in CNBC’s Inside Alts newsletter, a guide to the fast-growing world of alternative investments, from private equity and private credit to hedge funds and venture capital. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.
At Ares Management’s analyst day last month, the alternative asset manager quietly bumped up its three-year fundraising targets by 25%.
CEO Michael Arougheti told CNBC the change was due to better-than-expected momentum among individual, wealthy investors.
A recent survey by State Street found that the “retail revolution” will drive more than half of the private market flows in the next few years, a seismic shift from traditional sources of fundraising, which historically comprised institutional investors. Ares has been one of the key beneficiaries of the trend, having offered different types of vehicles for retail for more than two decades.
“What’s changed now is the quality of the product, the scale of the product – the investment that we’ve made in servicing the products,” Arougheti said in an interview.
Ares has 185 people in 10 offices globally who are working on product development and client education, he said. The firm already has more than $50 billion in assets under management from semiliquid vehicles targeted at retail. Arougheti said Ares’ market share of the retail segment is approaching 10%.
As the momentum for retail allocation in alternatives builds, some have cautioned that managers will funnel weaker deals toward individual investors, while reserving better assets for institutional investors. A recent paper by Harvard University found that there’s a performance disadvantage among funds sold more broadly, which the author said, “raises the possibility that products with poor performance are being channeled to investors who are less wealthy and less financially sophisticated.”
“This narrative of weaker products being reserved for retail is just not true,” Arougheti said, adding that only the largest managers with the “highest quality” deals have enough scale to build their wealth platforms.
“We actually allocate our investments based on available capital, and so a lot of the investments that are finding their way into our institutional client portfolios are also finding their way into our wealth product,” Arougheti said. “And so they’re growing together.”
Ares had about $572 billion in assets under management as of the end of June, with two-thirds in credit. The firm has investments in more than 3,000 middle-market companies.
As for the value proposition – why individual investors would be so interested in alternatives right now, especially when public equities have returned so much in recent years – Arougheti said he thinks it’s a response to the increasing concentration in the liquid securities.
“It’s actually pretty difficult to navigate a diversified portfolio in the public markets,” Arougheti said. “They’re looking for diversified and noncorrelated equity exposure, so private equity, real estate, etc.”
The retail revolution that Ares is so bullish on doesn’t even account for the potential opening up of 401(k) retirement accounts for greater allocation toward alternatives, which could bolster the firm’s AUM targets even more. But Arougheti was somewhat skeptical about how quickly this market would move the needle for the industry.
“I actually don’t think we’ll see change in behavior until there’s a change in regulation,” he said.
“And the challenge with that – that sector – which is almost to the disadvantage of the end client, is it’s very, very fee-sensitive, and the narrow definition of fiduciary duty is cost, not what my unit of return delivered for that cost,” Arougheti said. “So, almost by definition, structurally, the market is not geared to alts, where fees are higher, but you pay for a much higher net return. So until you give the plan sponsors that comfort that they’re free of litigation risk for having not pursued their fiduciary duty, I think it’s going to be hard.”
Still, as the industry evolves toward the masses, Arougheti encouraged a rethinking of the term “alternative.”
“There’s nothing ‘alternative’ about what we do anymore, right?” he said. “The biggest misconception is that somehow or another, the private markets are creating investment exposures that otherwise wouldn’t exist, that we’re creating demand for capital that otherwise wouldn’t exist, as opposed to just understanding this is the natural evolution and innovation in the capital markets that we’ve seen for generations.”
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Rail fares in England next year are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.
The freeze until March 2027 will apply to regulated fares, which includes season tickets and off-peak returns.
The most recent fare rise, in March 2025, was 4.6%. Rail fares traditionally have gone up in January, based on the July rate of the retail price index (RPI) + 1% – although this formula has not always been followed.
The announcement comes days before the chancellor sets out the government’s financial plans in the Budget on Wednesday, with Rachel Reeves indicating that cutting the cost of living will be a key focus.
However, at the same time the chancellor is also widely expected to increase taxes to help fill a multibillion-pound gap in her spending plans.
About 45% of rail fares are regulated by the government in England, Wales and Scotland – but the freeze only relates to travel in England. The announcement also only applies to services run by England-based train operating companies.
Regulated fares include season tickets covering most commuter routes, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and flexible tickets for travel in and around major cities.
Train operators are free to set prices for unregulated fares, but they typically rise by similar amounts.
The government said freezing rail fares was intended to “directly limit inflation” by holding down “a major component of everyday costs”.
Since 2021, the annual increase has come in March instead of January.
A government source acknowledged it was possible unregulated fares would still rise, but insisted they usually followed regulated fares.
Unregulated fares increased by 5.5% in the year to March 2025, 1.1% above regulated fares – with a total increase in rail fares of 5.1% in that period.
Challenged over whether other ticket prices would rise to compensate for the freeze on regulated fares, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander insisted the policy was “fully funded”.
She told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that regulated fares have tended to inform the price of unregulated fares and they normally “track against each other”.
Pressed on whether the policy would mean the government has less to spend on upgrading the transport system, Alexander said investment in the rail network would be protected “because we recognise that investing in the infrastructure of this country is the right long-term decision”.
The Rail Delivery Group, a representative body made up of the UK’s rail operators, said the freeze would be “good news for customers”.
“We want our railways to thrive, that’s why we’re committed to working with government to ensure upcoming railway reforms deliver real benefits for customers,” a spokesperson said.
Since 1996, the government has regulated some train fares following the privatisation of British Rail.
The freeze marks the first point since then that fares will have been frozen, although there have been periods where price increases were below RPI, and a dip in prices following the financial crash in 2010.
The government estimates that the move will save commuters on more expensive routes more than £300.
The chancellor said the freeze was being put in place to help ease cost of living pressures, and make “travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.
The transport secretary said it was part of “wider plans to rebuild Great British Railways”.
Great British Railways is a public body which is in the process of being set up, and is part of the government’s plans to bring parts of the railway system into public ownership.
The government has said it will take over the running and management of the tracks and trains, “ending years of fragmentation, driving up standards for passengers, and making journey easier and better value for money”.
The government has said part of its plans for the new body is to “gradually move away from annual blanket increases”.
Labour said passengers had faced “relentless” fare increases every year under the previous Tory government.
However, shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”
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NC JCM urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nirmala Sitharaman to amend 8th Pay Commission ToR, restore Old Pension Scheme, and more.
8th Pay Commission: The ToR acts as the foundation document of any pay commission.
8th Pay Commission: As the 8th pay commission has begun working after the notification of Terms of Reference (ToR) last month, the National Council (Staff Side) of the Joint Consultative Machinery (NC JCM) has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The body has urged them to amend major changes to the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 8the Pay Commission, according to a report of Economic Times.
It has also sought restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for central government employees under National Pension System (NPS).
According to ET report, Shiva Gopal Mishra, secretary of NC JCM, in the letter to the PM and FM suggested amendments to the 8th Pay Commission ToR, calling them important to serve the ‘large interest’ of current and retired central government employees.
NC JCM has sought amendments in the matter related to restoration of “expectations of stakeholders” clause that existed in the 7th CPC, removal the phase ““unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes”, declaration of January 1, 2026 as the implementation date, and offer 20% interim relief to employees and pensioners.
The body as quoted by ET said that the missing of “expectations of stakeholders” clause sends a discouraging signal.
In the letter, the body has urged to restore the commutation after 11 years with 5% additional pension every five years after retirement and revision coverage for all pensioners.
The body has sought the restoration of the OPS for those who joined government service on or after January 01, 2024. The body said it’s reflect the long-standing demand for financial security after retirement.
Headed by Justice (Retd.) Ranjana Desai, the 8th Pay Commission is expected to submit the recommendations on salaries, basic pay, fitment factor, and all of that to within 18 months. It couldn’t be possible to submit before mid-2027 and then recommendations will be passed through the Cabinet before becoming effective retrospectively from January 01, 2026.
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst…Read More
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst… Read More
November 23, 2025, 14:17 IST
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New Delhi: Dr. Deepak Kumar Jaiswal, National Convenor of CONSENT and National President of the National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU), on Saturday welcomed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s new labour codes, calling them a landmark step toward ensuring dignity, safety and fair wages for India’s workforce.
Speaking to IANS, he said the reforms reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to strengthening worker justice and modernising India’s labour ecosystem in line with global standards. Dr. Jaiswal praised the provision of time-bound minimum wages, describing it as a historic initiative that will directly curb exploitation and bring long-overdue stability to labourers.
“The recent discussions with Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya further reinforced the government’s intention to deliver reforms that genuinely benefit workers,” Dr. Jaiswal mentioned. He added that the new laws will bring visible improvements to the lives of millions of labourers.
Highlighting the focus on women in the workforce, Dr. Jaiswal applauded the rules ensuring equal pay and eliminating gender discrimination, as well as provisions for safer workplaces. He said women constitute half of the population and are increasingly part of the labour force, and the government has addressed their concerns with seriousness and sensitivity.
He also lauded the decision to extend social security coverage to more than 40 crore workers, calling it a major step that demonstrates the Prime Minister’s commitment to providing protection and respect to every Indian worker.
With 14 major organisations associated with NFITU, he said extensive consultations took place before the reforms were finalised, ensuring that workers’ voices were adequately represented. On the introduction of double wages for overtime and free health check-ups for workers above 40 years of age, Dr. Jaiswal said these measures clearly show that the Modi government places the dignity and quality of life of workers at the forefront.
Drawing a comparison with global labour systems, he said India’s laws are now moving on par with international standards. He added that while some unions in the past resorted to frequent strikes, the broader objective should always be constructive dialogue and appreciation when the government does the right thing.
Dr. Jaiswal remarked that earlier governments, including during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had not implemented such reforms despite repeated demands. He emphasised that NFITU is not politically aligned, but as a responsible trade union body, it would continue to raise its voice against any shortcomings and also acknowledge positive steps taken in the interest of workers.
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