Three Asset Managers Launch Private Markets Solution for DC Plans
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 20 2026
0mins
Source: PRnewswire
- Innovative Private Markets Solution: AllianceBernstein, Brookfield, and Carlyle have launched a private markets solution called 'ABC [ONE]' aimed at providing broader asset class diversification for Defined Contribution plans, which is expected to significantly enhance returns for retirement savers.
- Dynamic Asset Allocation: The solution will dynamically adjust allocations across private credit, private real assets, and private equity based on participants' ages and preferences, addressing the anticipated lower inflation-adjusted returns in the coming decade.
- Collaboration of Industry Leaders: AllianceBernstein will manage the private credit component, Brookfield will oversee private real assets, and Carlyle will handle private equity, leveraging their respective expertise to improve long-term investment outcomes for retirement plans.
- Technology Platform Support: ABC [ONE] will utilize AllianceBernstein's proprietary technology platform to deliver highly customized default solutions, ensuring effective operationalization with key business partners such as recordkeepers, thereby enhancing client experience.
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Analyst Views on CG
Wall Street analysts forecast CG stock price to rise
12 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
4 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 45.090
Low
53.00
Averages
67.91
High
83.00
Current: 45.090
Low
53.00
Averages
67.91
High
83.00
About CG
The Carlyle Group Inc. is a global investment company. The Company operates through three segments including Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Carlyle AlpInvest. The Global Private Equity segment advises the Company's buyout, growth, real estate, infrastructure, and natural resources funds. The Global Private Equity segment also includes the NGP Carry Funds advised by NGP Energy Capital Management (NGP). The Global Credit segment advises funds and vehicles that pursue investment strategies including insurance solutions, liquid credit, opportunistic credit, direct lending, asset-backed finance, aviation finance, infrastructure credit, cross-platform credit products, and global capital markets. The Company's Carlyle AlpInvest segment advises global private equity programs that pursue secondary purchases and financing of existing portfolios, managed co-investment programs, and primary fund investments.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Market Size Growth: According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, global military expenditure is projected to reach $2.89 trillion by 2025, marking the highest share of global GDP since 2009, indicating strong growth potential in the defense industry.
- Increased Deal Sizes: Schwartz mentioned that the newly established dedicated investment unit will focus on transactions worth $200 million to $300 million, indicating a strategic shift towards larger deals while declining smaller transactions.
- Geographical Advantage: Schwartz emphasized that Carlyle's roots in Washington, D.C. provide a unique advantage in defense investments, allowing the firm to better navigate industry dynamics compared to its New York-based private capital peers.
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- Misleading Inventory Figures: Currie warned that global oil inventory figures can be misleading, as much of the stored oil cannot be used immediately, leaving only a small share available for the market, which exacerbates supply pressures in Asia and impacts overall oil prices.
- U.S. Supply Shortage Risks: With the summer driving season approaching, Currie anticipates that the U.S. could face oil shortages by July, as current flows from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to Europe cannot be sustained, potentially leading to a larger supply crisis.
- Enhanced Iranian Negotiating Leverage: Currie emphasized that the ongoing decline in global inventories strengthens Iran's leverage in negotiations, arguing that reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains the only lasting solution to market issues, although normalizing the market will take time.
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- Market Tightening: As inflation concerns escalate, lenders are tightening covenant structures and standards, with KBRA noting that the market's 'narrowing margin for error' could lead to more loan defaults and refinancing challenges.
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See More
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- Dynamic Asset Allocation: The solution will dynamically adjust allocations across private credit, private real assets, and private equity based on participants' ages and preferences, addressing the anticipated lower inflation-adjusted returns in the coming decade.
- Collaboration of Industry Leaders: AllianceBernstein will manage the private credit component, Brookfield will oversee private real assets, and Carlyle will handle private equity, leveraging their respective expertise to improve long-term investment outcomes for retirement plans.
- Technology Platform Support: ABC [ONE] will utilize AllianceBernstein's proprietary technology platform to deliver highly customized default solutions, ensuring effective operationalization with key business partners such as recordkeepers, thereby enhancing client experience.
See More
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- Innovative Private Markets Solution: AllianceBernstein, Brookfield, and Carlyle have launched ABC [ONE], designed to provide Defined Contribution plans with dynamically adjusted private market asset allocations, expected to enhance returns and diversification for retirement savers.
- Asset Management Scale: AllianceBernstein manages $105 billion in custom target-date solutions, and with the expertise of Brookfield and Carlyle, the solution encompasses private credit, private real assets, and private equity, significantly enhancing market competitiveness.
- Addressing Market Dynamics: ABC [ONE] aims to tackle the anticipated lower inflation-adjusted returns over the next decade by integrating private market assets with existing target-date funds, offering better risk diversification and return potential.
- Technology Platform Support: The solution will leverage AllianceBernstein's proprietary DC technology platform, ensuring highly customized default solutions for clients and effective operationalization with key business partners such as recordkeepers.
See More
Carlyle Sees Limitless Opportunities in Defense Investments
- Defense Investment Opportunities: Carlyle's CEO Harvey Schwartz stated that as governments worldwide increase military budgets, the firm sees limitless investment opportunities, particularly in aerospace and industrial sectors.
- Market Size Growth: According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, global military expenditure is projected to reach $2.89 trillion by 2025, marking the highest share of global GDP since 2009, indicating strong growth potential in the defense industry.
- Increased Deal Sizes: Schwartz mentioned that the newly established dedicated investment unit will focus on transactions worth $200 million to $300 million, indicating a strategic shift towards larger deals while declining smaller transactions.
- Geographical Advantage: Schwartz emphasized that Carlyle's roots in Washington, D.C. provide a unique advantage in defense investments, allowing the firm to better navigate industry dynamics compared to its New York-based private capital peers.
See More
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- Operating Levels Nearing Minimum: Carlyle's Chief Strategy Officer Jeff Currie indicated that oil markets in Asia are nearing minimum operating levels, with Europe likely to follow suit, highlighting the severe global energy shock stemming from the Iran war that has disrupted Middle Eastern energy exports.
- Misleading Inventory Figures: Currie warned that global oil inventory figures can be misleading, as much of the stored oil cannot be used immediately, leaving only a small share available for the market, which exacerbates supply pressures in Asia and impacts overall oil prices.
- U.S. Supply Shortage Risks: With the summer driving season approaching, Currie anticipates that the U.S. could face oil shortages by July, as current flows from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to Europe cannot be sustained, potentially leading to a larger supply crisis.
- Enhanced Iranian Negotiating Leverage: Currie emphasized that the ongoing decline in global inventories strengthens Iran's leverage in negotiations, arguing that reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains the only lasting solution to market issues, although normalizing the market will take time.
See More
JD.com Considers £2B Bid for Very Group
- Acquisition Interest: JD.com is considering a £2 billion bid for the British online shopping platform Very Group, reflecting its ambition for international expansion, particularly in the increasingly competitive e-commerce sector.
- Auction Launch: The auction for Very Group is set to commence imminently, expected to attract interest from various trade and financial buyers, which could not only enhance Very Group's market value but also provide JD.com with an entry point into the UK market.
- Private Equity Context: This potential acquisition comes after Carlyle Group took control of Very Group in November, indicating JD.com's strategy to achieve rapid growth through acquisitions in a highly competitive e-commerce landscape.
- Market Reaction: Although JD.com declined to comment on the acquisition interest, the heightened market attention on its acquisition strategy may influence its stock performance, especially against the backdrop of its long-term high single-digit retail margin target.
See More
Private Credit Defaults Reach Record Highs Amid Rising Yields
- Rising Default Rates: Fitch Ratings reported that the U.S. private credit default rate reached a record 6.0% for the twelve months ending April 2026, up from 5.7% in March 2025, indicating a significant increase in credit risk within the sector.
- Market Tightening: As inflation concerns escalate, lenders are tightening covenant structures and standards, with KBRA noting that the market's 'narrowing margin for error' could lead to more loan defaults and refinancing challenges.
- Increased Investor Redemptions: Data from Robert A. Stanger & Co shows that redemptions from unlisted business development companies surpassed fundraising in Q1, resulting in the Stanger NL BDC Total Return Index posting its first negative return since 2022, reflecting declining investor confidence in private credit.
- Poor Performance of Major Firms: An analysis by S&P Global revealed that sentiment among the big four private equity firms has plummeted to a multiyear low, with KKR experiencing a total return decline of 19.4%, highlighting the industry's overall weak performance amid rising default rates and market uncertainty.
See More
Three Asset Managers Launch Private Markets Solution for DC Plans
- Innovative Private Markets Solution: AllianceBernstein, Brookfield, and Carlyle have launched a private markets solution called 'ABC [ONE]' aimed at providing broader asset class diversification for Defined Contribution plans, which is expected to significantly enhance returns for retirement savers.
- Dynamic Asset Allocation: The solution will dynamically adjust allocations across private credit, private real assets, and private equity based on participants' ages and preferences, addressing the anticipated lower inflation-adjusted returns in the coming decade.
- Collaboration of Industry Leaders: AllianceBernstein will manage the private credit component, Brookfield will oversee private real assets, and Carlyle will handle private equity, leveraging their respective expertise to improve long-term investment outcomes for retirement plans.
- Technology Platform Support: ABC [ONE] will utilize AllianceBernstein's proprietary technology platform to deliver highly customized default solutions, ensuring effective operationalization with key business partners such as recordkeepers, thereby enhancing client experience.
See More
Three Asset Managers Launch Private Markets Solution for DC Plans
- Innovative Private Markets Solution: AllianceBernstein, Brookfield, and Carlyle have launched ABC [ONE], designed to provide Defined Contribution plans with dynamically adjusted private market asset allocations, expected to enhance returns and diversification for retirement savers.
- Asset Management Scale: AllianceBernstein manages $105 billion in custom target-date solutions, and with the expertise of Brookfield and Carlyle, the solution encompasses private credit, private real assets, and private equity, significantly enhancing market competitiveness.
- Addressing Market Dynamics: ABC [ONE] aims to tackle the anticipated lower inflation-adjusted returns over the next decade by integrating private market assets with existing target-date funds, offering better risk diversification and return potential.
- Technology Platform Support: The solution will leverage AllianceBernstein's proprietary DC technology platform, ensuring highly customized default solutions for clients and effective operationalization with key business partners such as recordkeepers.
See More
