CAIS Expands Fund Menu as Private Markets Become a Core Pillar for Advisor Portfolios

Ares Management, AQR, BlackRock, Blue Owl, Coller, Eldridge, Fortress Investment Group, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, Golub Capital, Kayne Anderson, Kennedy Lewis, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Eaton Vance, Nuveen, Veritas, and Vista Equity Partners among alternative asset managers that have introduced or expanded alternative investment strategies on the CAIS platform

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CAIS, the leading alternative investment platform for independent financial advisors, today announced an expansion of alternative investment strategies from leading global asset managers, broadening access for advisors seeking to build more diversified client portfolios.

Over the last year, leading managers have introduced new strategies on the CAIS Marketplace, spanning private equity, private debt, real estate, and infrastructure—delivered through advisor-friendly structures such as interval funds, BDCs, and non-traded REITs.

The CAIS Marketplace menu expansion includes strategies from Ares Management, AQR, BlackRock, Blue Owl, Coller, Eldridge, Fortress Investment Group, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, Golub Capital, Kayne Anderson, Kennedy Lewis, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Eaton Vance, Nuveen, Veritas, Vista Equity Partners, and others.

“Advisors are increasingly turning to alternatives as a core pillar of modern portfolio construction,” said Brad Walker, Co-President at CAIS. “This shift represents a key inflection point. By expanding access to leading managers and strategies on our platform, CAIS is helping advisors meet client expectations and stay ahead of this shift in wealth management.”

According to a recent CAIS-Mercer Survey¹, advisors remain motivated to allocate to alternatives. Private debt (89%), private equity (86%), and real estate (85%) ranked as the top three allocations among advisors, with 75% expecting to increase allocations to private equity and 60% planning to increase allocations to private debt—underscoring the appetite for yield, diversification, and downside protection in an uncertain environment.

“CAIS’ combination of access, education, and technology is empowering advisors to integrate alternative strategies at scale—marking an important inflection point for both the industry and the financial advisors driving adoption,” said Jeff Carlin, Global Head of Wealth Advisory at Nuveen. “Expanding our strategies on CAIS allows us to reach a broader set of advisors and ultimately deliver the diversification and outcomes their clients are increasingly seeking.”

Managers onboarded to the CAIS platform receive access to a network of advisors that oversee more than $7 trillion in assets. Asset managers also benefit from CAIS’ robust array of features enhancing the alternative investing experience, including pre-trade, trade, and post-trade technology, a custom online education offering (CAIS IQ), digital marketing support, and integrations with leading custodians, reporting providers, fund administrators, and transfer agents. An expanded list of alternative asset managers with strategies on the CAIS platform can be found here.

Some of these structures and products will also be accessible via model portfolios through the CAIS Models Marketplace. At the core of the Models Marketplace is CAIS’ proprietary flex model technology, built to give financial advisors efficiency and adaptability. This technology is designed to help advisors tailor model portfolios to their clients’ needs, while maintaining the flexibility to adjust allocations, substitute funds, or implement investment decisions.

Leading alternative asset managers will be participating at the 2025 CAIS Alternative Investment Summit, the marquee gathering of independent advisors and alternatives managers taking place in Beverly Hills on October 13–16, 2025. For more information on CAIS events, please visit www.caisgroup.com/events.

About CAIS

CAIS is the leading alternative investment platform for independent financial advisors. The CAIS platform powers the pre-trade, trade, and post-trade lifecycle of alternative investments and capital market strategies providing financial advisors and alternative asset managers with a single operating system for scale and efficiency.

CAIS serves over 2,000 wealth management firms that support more than 50,000 financial advisors who oversee approximately $7 trillion in end-client assets. Founded in 2009, CAIS is headquartered in New York City with offices in Austin, TX; London; and Red Bank, NJ.

CAIS continues to be recognized for its innovation and leadership including awards for Alternative Investment Firm of the Year by Wealth Solutions Report, WealthTech100 List by Fintech Global, Great Places to Work by Fortune, Best RIA Platform by SPi, Best Alternative Investments Solution by Finovate, and many others.

For more information about CAIS, please visit www.caisgroup.com.

Securities offered through CAIS Capital LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.

¹ The survey was conducted from September 10–October 18, 2024, including at the CAIS Alternative Investment Summit, the industry’s marquee event for independent advisors and asset managers hosted in Beverly Hills, CA. Respondents included independent RIAs, broker-dealer affiliates, family offices, and other advisor professionals. The data is based on responses from 550 financial advisor respondents.