Wafra Inc, investment manager owned by the state pension agency of Kuwait with $28bn in assets, has acquired a minority stake in European private markets firm Ardian, which manages roughly $192bn across private equity, real assets and private credit.
The deal was executed through Wafra’s established manager strategy, which targets equity stakes in leading alternative asset managers. Terms were not disclosed.
Wafra said the investment supports its plans to expand exposure to private markets, including secondaries and real assets, as fundraising dynamics shift.
