Ares Management Corporation announced it has successfully raised roughly $7.1 billion of capital designated for its Credit Secondaries strategy. This figure encompasses the culmination of fundraising efforts for the firm’s inaugural Ares Credit Secondaries Fund (ACS), related affiliated investment vehicles, as well as anticipated leverage arrangements. Notably, the ACS fund alone attracted approximately $4 billion in limited partner equity commitments, doubling its original $2 billion target and establishing it as Ares’ largest opening institutional fundraise.
The firm’s strategy via ACS is to create a diversified investment portfolio predominantly consisting of senior secured, private equity-backed, and floating-rate private credit opportunities. The approach entails targeting investments across limited partner-led transactions, continuation vehicles, and works in collaboration with other asset managers to execute these allocations.
Blair Jacobson, co-president of Ares, commented on the fundraising milestone, highlighting the firm’s first-mover advantage in the credit secondaries market. He emphasized the strength of the Ares platform and its broad capabilities. Jacobson noted the evolving liquidity requirements of investors and expressed the firm’s commitment to developing innovative general partner (GP) and limited partner (LP) solutions leveraging decades of investment expertise and extensive relationship networks.
Dave Schwartz, Head of Credit Secondaries at Ares, reflected on the successful final closing of ACS as evidence of the strategy’s market strength and leadership position. Schwartz pointed out that the initiative is supported by one of the largest dedicated teams focused on credit secondaries. He underscored Ares’ multi-decade experience in credit and secondaries investing combined with their global reach, allowing a disciplined investment process prioritizing diversification and downside protection.
Schwartz expressed enthusiasm about the sizable pipeline of opportunities in a market that is both rapidly growing and attractive, indicating plans to execute on current prospects.
The leadership team overseeing the Ares Credit Secondaries strategy includes partners Sebastien Burdel, Chrissy Lamont Svejnar, and Luca Salvato. This team operates under the umbrella of the Ares Secondaries Group, an entity with a proven investment track record spanning over 30 years across private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and credit sectors. As of September 30, 2025, the group managed $38 billion in assets.
At the firmwide level, Ares' global platform oversaw assets under management totaling over $595 billion, with operations spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East as of the same date.
This fundraise marks a significant development in the credit secondaries space, positioning Ares to capitalize on the increasing demand for liquidity solutions and opportunities in private credit markets. The firm’s scale, experience, and comprehensive platform underpin their ability to navigate complexities and deliver diversified exposure within the credit secondaries investment sphere.