J.P. Morgan Asset Management has expanded its offering of alternative solutions to wholesale investors in Australia through a partnership with investment platform iCapital.

J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) has formed a partnership with alternatives platform iCapital, according to a statement. Through the tie-up, iCapital will provide its proprietary technology platform to facilitate the distribution of JPMAM’s select global alternative strategies to Australian wholesale investors.

«There is a growing appetite and surging demand, especially amongst Australian wholesale investors, to access and increase their allocations to alternatives which provide additional sources of uncorrelated returns, income opportunities, inflation management and diversification,» said Mark Carlile, head of wholesale, Australia and New Zealand, JPMAM. 

«As wealth creation is increasingly taking place outside the public markets, this unique partnership offers access to the increased diversification benefits and better risk-adjusted returns that alternative investments can provide as a key component of a diversified investment portfolio,» added Marco Bizzozero, head of international, iCapital. 

Democratizing Alternatives

The financial industry at large has been increasingly seeking to broaden product access to more investors worldwide. In fact, this is a strategic priority at JPMAM, according to Australia and New Zealand CEO Andrew Creber. 

«This partnership marks an important milestone as democratizing alternatives is one of our strategic priorities globally. We are committed to transforming our offerings into an evergreen solution, enabling a wider group of investors to maintain a consistent exposure to the private markets in the long term,» Creber explained.

As of 30 September 2023, JPMAM had around $213 billion in alternative assets under management across real estate, private equity and credit, infrastructure, transport, timber, liquid alternatives and hedge funds. 

Founded in 2013, iCapital is a global financial technology platform with $170 billion in platform assets, supporting both asset managers and distributors to expand access to private markets.