Wafra has completed a minority investment in Ardian, marking a significant partnership between two major forces in global private markets. The transaction, announced from New York, brings Wafra into Ardian’s shareholding structure, a private investment firm that manages $192 billion in assets.
The investment was made through Wafra’s Strategic Partnerships program, which focuses on collaborating with large alternative asset managers that offer long-term growth potential and opportunities for global investor connectivity. The firm identified Ardian as a strong fit due to its scale, global footprint, diversified investment capabilities, and performance across multiple market cycles.
Ardian manages a broad platform spanning private equity, real assets, and private credit, offering customized solutions to its client base of 1,860. The firm has recently achieved several fundraising milestones, including raising the largest secondaries fund in history through ASF IX, securing a record $20 billion for its infrastructure platform dedicated to essential European assets, and collecting €3.2 billion for its mid-cap private equity strategy targeting mission-critical businesses.
Wafra’s investment supports its broader initiative to increase exposure to secondaries and real assets, two areas where Ardian has demonstrated notable leadership. The collaboration is expected to create new opportunities for Wafra’s global network of institutional partners, while reinforcing Ardian’s continued expansion across private markets.
Wafra manages approximately $28 billion across strategic partnerships, real assets, infrastructure, and real estate strategies.
