Venture capital leads Apac private-market returns in Q2: MSCI
Infrastructure also outperforms global peers; real estate returns remain muted
Venture capital (VC) drove the Asia-Pacific (APAC) private-market returns in the second quarter of 2026, according to MSCI. VC achieved a 6.7% return, marking the best performance among private-capital strategies in the region. This was an increase from 3.7% in the first quarter. However, VC returns in APAC were still below global averages of 12.7% and North America's 14.5%.
Late-stage startups and the artificial intelligence sector were leading drivers of VC returns in APAC. The broader MSCI APAC Private Equity Closed-End Fund Index saw a 3.4% return, up from 1.7% in the previous quarter. Buyout funds returned 2.2%, while expansion capital had a negative return of 1.9%. Infrastructure investments also outperformed global peers, with 2.7% returns in Q2 2026, slightly ahead of global infrastructure returns of 2.5%.
Infrastructure returns in the past 12 months for APAC were 12.8%, higher than North America's 11.7% and Europe's 1.9%. Infrastructure investments now include AI data centers and social infrastructure like medical facilities and schools. In APAC, infrastructure returns were driven by data centers and traditional infrastructure like ports and transportation enhancements.
Real estate in APAC and globally remained muted, delivering only 1% in Q2 2026 and 0.2% globally. Real estate returns in APAC over the past 12 months were also low at 1.2%. In private credit, APAC performed relatively well, with a 1.9% return in Q2 2026, slightly outpacing the 1.7% return in North America.
Written by urgent.news from The Business Times - Companies & Markets's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
