The Igneo Australia New Zealand Private Infrastructure Fund (APIF) invests through the firm’s Australia New Zealand Diversified Infrastructure Fund, which, according to Igneo, provides exposure to a diversified portfolio of infrastructure assets across Australia and New Zealand.
Danny Latham, partner and head of Igneo Australia and New Zealand, said private infrastructure had historically been difficult for non-institutional investors to access.
“Private infrastructure has traditionally been limited to institutional investors but can be an attractive asset class for those seeking long-term capital growth as well as diversification and inflation protection characteristics,” Latham said.
According to Igneo, the underlying strategy invests across sectors including renewable energy, water and wastewater, digital infrastructure, distributed energy and embedded network solutions, and transport and mobility. The company said the strategy seeks to combine long-term growth opportunities with active asset management.
Igneo said the launch expands its offering to advised retail and wholesale investors, providing access to the same infrastructure capability it has previously managed on behalf of institutional clients.
Latham said the new fund would allow a broader range of investors to benefit from the firm’s experience in the asset class.
“With APIF, private infrastructure is now within reach to a broader investor base, enabling advised and wholesale investors in Australia to benefit from Igneo’s global track record and active asset management capabilities.”
According to Igneo, the launch forms part of its efforts to broaden access to private market infrastructure investments for advised and wholesale investors in Australia.
This comes at a time where alternatives are growing in popularity in the advice world, helping to reshape client and adviser relationships, particularly among the high net worth demographic.
According to Praemium research that was released last year, 56 per cent of clients who have investments in alternatives have an ongoing relationship with their adviser.
Furthermore, clients with alternative investments showed high levels of engagement with their advisers and their investing activities, with 62 per cent being highly engaged and a further 35 per cent being reasonably engaged.
“The data is clear. The high-net-worth market is actively seeking alternatives. And those [advisers] who are engaged with them have a deeper relationship with their advisers. You only have to look at what’s happening more broadly in the marketplace with the big asset managers focused on this high-net-worth portion of the market, Matt Walsh, head of private wealth at Praemium said at the time.