Seventeen pension providers have committed to allocating billions into private markets, with at least half of that investment earmarked for the UK in the new Mansion House Accord.
This landmark agreement is a testament to the efforts of The Rt Hon. the Lord Mayor Alastair King in bringing together numerous stakeholders.
We welcome pension providers allocating more of their funds to the UK, but the Mansion House Accord is a missed opportunity to more explicitly back the high-growth stocks trading on AIM and Aquis that create productive jobs and power regional economies.
Private markets might be in vogue today, but the illiquid assets that use them will need public markets tomorrow when owners must trade. Savers whose money is being deployed in this exercise will no doubt be grateful for that flexibility.
The Lord Mayor’s “renewed focus” on revitalising AIM and Aquis is encouraging but the oddity of bracketing unlisted equities within private markets raises fears that many of our members will suffer from the same confusion as last time.
Two years ago, the Mansion House Compact launched with a bold ambition to unlock over £50bn of capital and to date only £793m has been declared as allocated to unlisted equities, with precious little backing AIM and Aquis stocks.
Nevertheless, the Quoted Companies Alliance stands ready to connect any of the 17 Accord signatories with our members, including the expert advisers and specialist investors who can help them navigate the UK’s growth markets.
