General Atlantic to buy UK’s Actis in latest infrastructure tie-up

US private equity firm General Atlantic said on Tuesday (Jan 16) it has agreed a deal to buy UK-based infrastructure investor Actis, in the latest sign of investors betting on growth in alternative assets.

The deal will grow General Atlantic’s assets under management to around US$96 billion, according to a joint statement by the two companies, which did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

The agreement comes days after BlackRock agreed a deal to buy Global Infrastructure Partners for US$12.5 billion, putting the asset management giant at the heart of investing in ports, power and digital infrastructure projects globally.

Under General Atlantic’s deal, Actis will become the firm’s sustainable infrastructure arm, adding around US$12.5 billion in assets specialising in energy transition, digital transition, and supply chain transformation, the companies said.

General Atlantic chairman and CEO Bill Ford told the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos that he saw a “multi-decade opportunity” in energy transition, adding the world needed more renewable energy to power itself.

Ford said part of the attraction of Actis was its involvement in producing energy in the “Global South”, where he said renewable energy was needed to support growth.

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Actis will continue to be led by its chairman and senior partner Torbjorn Caeser and its funds will operate under the existing Actis brand, the companies’ joint statement said.

General Atlantic, founded in 1980, currently holds a portfolio of 225 companies, including fast-fashion retailer Shein, India’s digital payments startup PhonePe and self-driving technology firm Mobileye, its website showed. REUTERS