Fundraising

I Squared has raised $1.7bn to date for the fund, having last week received a $150m commitment from the Florida State Board of Administration.

The asset class should be pleased with its record performance. The question is whether it can sustain such results in a more volatile macro environment.

The firm plans to expand retail offerings across all its asset classes, as it creates real assets unit to recognise fourfold AUM rise since 2019.

Four of the 57 funds closed accounted for more than 54% of the total raised during the first half of the year.

The firm plans to leverage its expertise building logistics centres across the APAC region for its new digital infrastructure fund.

The fund, which is targeting up to $2bn, received a $250m commitment from the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System earlier this year.

The open-ended Blackstone Infrastructure Partners now has total commitments of $30bn, edging closer to its initial target of $40bn.

Managing director Peter Johnston says the first close was backed by traditional real estate investors looking for an alternative to residential property.

The platform, a subsidiary of the UK's Octopus Group, is backed by Hostplus and CEFC, and will invest in wind, solar and battery storage.

Launched in 2019, the fund’s $800m target was re-sized in the wake of covid-19 and has made six investments at closing.