US-headquartered private market investment firm Hamilton Lane, which has $1 trillion in assets under management, has released its 2026 Global Private Wealth Survey, showing that private wealth investors are positive about private market investments in 2026

With a number of investment managers optimistic about private markets in 2026, a new survey by Hamilton Lane reveals that private wealth investors plan to increase allocations to private market investments in 2026.

The survey, conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research between October 23 and November 4, 2025, covered 390 financial advisors, private wealth firms, family offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

The survey found that 86 per cent of private wealth professionals plan to increase private market investments this year, with portfolio optimization being the top motivator. Currently, 97 per cent of private wealth professionals surveyed allocate between 1 per cent and 20 per cent of their book of business to private markets, with the majority expecting those allocations to grow in 2026. Within this allocation, respondents reported an even spread across private markets strategies, with private equity at 19 per cent, private real estate at 18 per cent, private credit at 16 per cent, venture capital and growth at 16 per cent and private infrastructure at 15 per cent.

In terms of what drives client interest, advisors ranked performance and diversification as the top reasons for investing in private markets.

Despite common misconceptions, the survey findings show that most private wealth clients do not see private markets as riskier than public markets. In fact, 83 per cent of respondents view private market risk/reward as similar, or view the reward as higher compared with public markets, reinforcing confidence in these strategies.

Venture Capital
While respondents’ allocations are currently fairly evenly spread across strategies, venture capital and growth emerged as a favorite among respondents for 2026, with 47 per cent planning to increase allocations to this strategy. Furthermore, when asked which strategies resonate most with new, highly-engaged investors, more than half pointed to venture capital and growth, the firm said.

[Financial] education is also continuing to be important, with 81 per cent of wealth professionals reporting that client education significantly boosts interest in private markets, underscoring the importance of addressing knowledge gaps, particularly at the product level. Entry points into private markets tend to start with private equity and venture capital and growth.

Forty-six per cent of respondents named infrastructure as the strategy that they planned to increase allocation to in 2026, just behind venture capital and growth at 47 per cent.

“The survey results point to the increasingly important role private markets play within wealth management portfolios, due to the portfolio optimization and diversification benefits these investments can provide,” James Martin, head of global client solutions at Hamilton Lane, said. “Across our own client base and in the survey results, we see investors and their wealth advisors becoming more sophisticated around assessing risk/reward tradeoffs and recognizing the strong link between education and interest in the asset class.”

After what has been a tough time for private equity in 2022 and 2023, a number of investment managers are positive about private markets in 2026. California-based investment manager Franklin Templeton, for instance, sees attractive opportunities within private markets globally in 2026. UK-based Aberdeen Investments also thinks that private markets stand out as a cornerstone for resilient portfolios in 2026. See more here, here and here.